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SPALDING'S 

ATHLETIC 

LIBRARY 




Spalding's Athletic Library is admitted to be the leading 
library series of its kind published in the world. In fact, 
it has no imitators, let alone equals. It occupies a field 
that it has created for itself. 

The Library was established in the year 1892, and it is an 
admitted fact by many authorities that Spalding's Athletic 
Library has accomplished a great deal in America for the 
advancement of amateur sport. 

The millions that read the Library during the year will 
attest to its valtie. A glance at its index will disclose the 
remarkable field that it covers. It is immaterial what the 
pastime may be, you will find in Spalding's Athletic Library 
a reference to it, either in a book devoted exclusively to 
that particular game or in some of the books that cover 
many sports. 

It has been the aim of the editors to make the books 
Official, and they are recognized as such, all the important 
governing bodies in America giving to the publishers of 
Spalding's Athletic Library the right to publish their oflScial 
books and oflScial rules. 

A glance at the names of the authors of the different vol- 
umes will convince the reader that the best men in each 
particular line, the men best qualified to write intelligently 
on each subject, are selected ; and, as a result, there is 
not another series in the world like Spalding's Athletic 
Library series. 

It is immaterial what new game or form of sport be 
conceived or advanced, it is invariably the aim of the 
publishers to have a book on that sport. In that way 
Spalding's Athletic Library is in the field at the beginning 
of the sport, follows it year in and year out and there can 
be no doubt whatever that the present popularity of athletic 
sports can attribute the same to the "backing" it has 
received from Spalding's Athletic Library. 



JAMES E. SULLIVAN, 



SPALDING ATHLETIC LIBKARV 

Tl Giving the Titles ot all Spalding Athletic Library [[ 
J Boohs now in print, grouped tor ready reterence L 



SPALDING OFFICIAL ANNUALS 



No. 

No. 

No. 

No. 

No. 

No. 

No. 

No. 

No. 

No. 

No. lO 

No. 12 



i Spalding's Official 

2 Spalding's Official 
2a Spalding's Official 

3 Spalding's Official 
SpaSding's Official 
Spalding's Official 
Spalding's Official 
Spalding's Officoal 
Spalding's Official 
Spalding's Official 
Spalding's Official 
Spalding's Official 



Base Ball Guide 

Foot Ball Cuide 

Association Foot Ball Guide 

Cricket Guide 

Lawn Tennis Annual 

Coif Guide 

Ice Hockey Guide 

Basket Ball Guide 

Bowling Cuide 

Indoor Base Ball Guide 

Roller Polo Guide 

Athletic Almanac 



Base Ball 

Official Base Ball 



Group I. 

No. 1 Spalding' 
Guide. 
No. 202 How to Play Base Ball. 
No. 223 How to Bat. 
No. 232 How to Run Bases. 
No. 230 How to Pitch. 
No. 229 How to Catch. 
No. 225 How to Play First Base. 
No. 226 How to Play Second Base. 
No. 227 How to Play Third Base. 
No. 228 How to Play Shortstop. 
No. 224 How to Play the Outfield. 

r How to Organize a Base Ball 
I Club. [League. 

I How to Organize a Base Ball 
No. \ How to Manage a Base Ball Club. 
How to Train a Base Ball Team. 
How to Captain a Base Ball 
How to Umpire a Game. [Team. 
"" Technical Base Ball Terms, 
No. 219 Ready Reckoner of Base Ball 
Percentages. 
BASE BALL AUXILIARIES 
No. 291 Minor League Base Ball Guide.* 
No. 293 Official Handbook National 
League of Prof. B. B. Clubs. ' 
* Ready in May. 



231 



Group IK 



Foot Ball 



No. 2 Spalding's Official Foot Ball 
Guide. 

No. 284 How to Play Foot Ball. 

No. 2A Spalding's Official (Soccer) 
As'-ociation Foot Ball Guide. 

No. 286 How to Play Soccer. 

FOOT BALL AUXILIARIES 

No. 283 Spalding's Official Canadian 
Foot Ball Guide. 

No. 294 Official Intercollegiate Associa- 
tion Soccer Foot Ball Guide. 

Group III. crichet 

Ho. 3 Spalding's Official Cricket 

Guide.* 
No. 277 Cricket and How to Play It. 

Group IV. Lawn Tennis 

No. 4 Spalding's Official Lawn Tennis 

Annual. 
No. 157 How to Play Lawn Tennis. 
No. 279 Strokes and Science of Lawn 
Tennis. 

Group V. Goir 

No. 5 Spalding's Official Golf Guide. 
No. 276 How to Play Golf. 

Group VI. noehey 

No. 6 Spalding's Official Ice Hockey 
No. 154 Field Hockey. {Guide. 

No. 188 Lawn Hockey. 
No. 180 Ring Hockey. 

HOCKEY AUXILIARY 

No. 256 Official Handbook Ontario 

Hockey Association. 



Any of the Above Books Mailed Postpaid Upon 
Receipt of lO Cents 



^ 



SPALDING ATHLETIC 



L IBRARY /7=^ 



Group VII. 



Basket Ball 



No. 7 Spalding's Offi cial Basket 

Ball Guide. 
No. 193 How to Play Basket Ball. 
No. 260 Basket Ball Guid-e for Women. 

BASKET BALL AUXILIARY 
No. 278 Official Collegiate Basket Ball 

Handbook. 

Group VIII. Bowling 

No. 8 Spalding's Official Bowling 
Gtiide. 

Group IX. Indoor Base Ball 

Ho. 9 Spalding's Official Indoor 
Base Ball Guide. 

Group X. Polo 

No. 10 Spalding's Offi cial Roller 
No. 129 Water Polo. [Polo Guide. 

No. 199 Equestrian Polo. 

Group XI. Miscellaneous Games 

No. 201 Lacrosse, 

No. 248 Archery. 

No, 138 Croquet, 

Ko. 271 Roque 

jj [Racquets. 

Yq7 ^Squash-Racquets. 

^^* (Court Tennis. 

No, 13 Hand Ball. 

No, 167 Quoits. 

No. 170 Push Ball. 

No, 14 Curling, 

No. 207 Lawn Bowls, 

No. 188 Lawn Games. 

No. 18» Children's Games. 

Group XII. Athletics 

No, 12 Spalding's Official Athletic 
Almanac. 

No. 27 College Athletics. 

No. 182 All Around Athletics. 

No. 156 Athletes' Guide. 

No. 87 Athletic Primer. 

No. 273 Olympic Games at Athens, 1906. 

No, 252 How to Sprint. 

No. 255 How to Run 100 Yards. 

No. 174 Distance and Cross Country 
Running. 

No. 259 How to Become a Weight 
Thrower. 

No. 55 Official Sporting Rules. 

No. 246 Athletic Training for School- 
boys. 
ATHLETIC AUXILIARIES 

No. 241 Amateur Athletic Union Offi- 
cial Handbook. 

No. 217 Olympic Handbook (St. Louis). 

No. 292 Intercollegiate Official Hand- 
book. 



ATHLETIC AUXILIARIES- Cow. 
No. 245 Y. M. C. A. Official Handbook. 
No. 281 PubHc Schools Athletic League 

Official Handbook. 
No. 274 Intercollegiate Cross Country 

Association Handbook. 

Athletic 
Group XIII. Accomplishments 

No. 177 How to Swim. 

No. 128 How to Row. 

No. 209 How to Become a Skater, 

No. 178 How to Train for Bicycling, 

No. 23 Canoeing. 

No. 282 Roller Skating Guide. 

No. 296 Speed Swimming. 

Group XIV. Manly sports 

No. 18 Fencing. (ByBreck). 

No. 162 Boxing. 

No. 165 Fencing. (BySenac). 

No. 140 Wrestling. 

No. 236 How to Wrestle. 

No. 102 Ground Tumbling. 

No. 233 Jiu Jitsu, 

No. 166 How to Swing Indian Clubs. 

No. 200 Dumb Bell Exercises. 

No. 143 Indian Clubs and Dumb Bells. 

No. 262 Medicine Ball Exercises. 

No. 29 Pulley Weight Exercises. 

No. 191 How to Punch the Bag. 

No 289 Tumbling for Amateurs. 

Group XV. Gymnastics 

No. 104 Grading of Gymnastic Exer- 
cises. 

No. 214 Graded Calisthenics and Dumb 
Bell Drills. 

No. 254 Barnjum Bar Bell Drill. 

No. 158 Indoor and Outdoor Gymnastic 
Games. 

No. 124 How to Become a Gymnast. 

No. 287 Fancy Dumb Bell and March- 
ing Drills. 

Group XVI. Physical cuitore 

No. 161 Ten Minutes' Exercise for 

Busy Men. 
No. 208 Physical Education and Hy- 
giene. 
No. 149 Scientific Physical Training 

and Care of the Body. 
No. 142 Physical Training Simplified. 
No. 185 Hints on Health. 
No. 213 285 Health Answers. 
No. 238 Muscle Building [ning. 

No. 234 School Tactics and Maze Run- 
No. 261 Tensing Exercises. [ics. 
No. 285 Health by Muscular Gymnast- 
No. 288 Indigestion Treated by Gym- 
No. 290 Get Well; Keep Well, [nasties. 



Any of the Above Books Mailed Postpaid Upon 
Receipt of 10 Cents 



^\^ SPALDING ATHLETIC LIBRARY//^ 




Group I. Base Ball 

No. 1— Spalding's Official 
Base Ball Guide. 

The leading Base Ball 
annual of the country 
and the otBcial authority 
of the game. Edited by 
Henry Chadwick, the 
"Feather of Base Ball." 
Contains the ofBcial play- 
ing rules, with an ex- 
planatory index of the 
rules compiled by Mr. 
A. G. Spalding; pictures of all the 
teams in the National, American and 
minor leagues; ofBcial averages; re- 
views of the season in all the pro- 
fessional organizations; college Base 
Ball, and a great deal of interesting 
information. Price 10 cents. 

No. 302— How to Play Base 
Ball. 

Edited by T. H. 
Murnane. New and 
revised edition. 
Contents: How to 
become a good bat- 
ter; how to run the 
bases; advice to 
base runners. by 
James E. Sullivan, 
President A.A.U.; 
how to become a good pitcher; 
how to become a good catcher; how 
to play tirst base; how to play sec- 
ond base; how to play third base; 
how to play shortstop; how to play 
the infield; how to play the out- 
field; the earmarks of a ball player, 
by John J. McGraw; good advice for 
players; how to organize a team; 
how to manage a team; how to 
score a game; how to umpire a 
game; base ball rules interpreted for 
boys. Price 10 cents. 

No. 223— How to Bat. 

The most important 
part of ball playing now- 
adays, outside of pitch- 
ing, is batting. The team 
that can bat and has 
some good pitchers can 
win base ball games; 
therefore, every boy and 
young man who has. of 
(■nurse, already learned to 
catch, should turn his attention to 
this dt'partment of the game, and 
there is no better way of becoming 
proficient than by reading this book 
and then constantly practising the 
little tricks explained. Price 10 cts. 






\o. 232— How to Run the 
Bases. 

The importance of base 
running as a scientific! 
feature of the national 
game is becoming more 
and more recognized each' 
year. Besides being spec- 
tacular, feats of base! 
stealing nearly always 
figure in the winning of 
a game. Many a close 
contest is decided on the winning of 
that little strip of 90 feet which lies 
between cushions. When hits are 
few and the enemy's pitchers steady, 
it becomes, incumbent on the oppos- 
ing team to get around the bases in 
some manner. Effective stealing not 
only increases the effectiveness of 
the team by advancing its runners 
without wasting hits, but it serves 
to materially disconcert the enemy 
and frequently has caused an entire 
opposing club to temporarily lose its 
poise and throw away the game. 
This book gives clear and concise di- 
rections for excelling as a base run- 
ner; tells when to run and when not 
to do so; how and when to slide; 
team work on the bases; in fact, 
every point of the game is thor- 
oughly explained. Illustrated with 
pictures of leading players. Price 10 
cents. 

No. 230— How to Pitehi. 

A new, up-to-date book. 
The object of this book 
is to aid the beginners 
who aspire to become 
clever twirlers, and its 
contents are the practi- 
cal teaching of men who 
have reached the top as 
pitchers, and who know 
how to impart a knowl- 
edge of their art. All the big 
leagues' pitchers are shown. Price 
10 cents. 

No. 229— How to Catch. 

Undoubtedly the best^ 

book on catching that I 
has yet been published. 
Every boy who has hopes] 
of being a clever catcher 
should read how well- 
nown players cover their 
position. Among the 
more noted ones who de- 1 
scribe their methods of 
play in this book are Lou Criger of 
the Boston Americans and Johnnie 
Kling of the Chicago Nationals. The 
numerous pictures comprise all the 
noted catchers in the big leagues. 
I'rlce 10 cents. 





gx\ SPALDING ATHLETIC 'LffiRARY /7a 




No. 225— How to Play First 

Base. 

No other position in a 
ball team has shown 
such a change for the 
better in recent years as 
first base. Modifications 
in line with the better- 
ment of the sport in 
every department have 
been made at intervals, 
but in no other depart- 
ment have they been so radical. No 
boy who plays the initial sacli can 
afford to overlook the points and 
hints contained in this book. En- 
tirely new and up to date. Illus- 
trated with full-page pictures of all 
the prominent first basemen. Price 
10 cents. 



No. 226— How to Play Second 
Base. 

There are so few men 
who can cover second 
base to perfection that 
their names can easily 
be called off by anyone 
who follows the game of 
base ball. Team owners 
who possess such players 
would not part with 
them for thousands of 
dollars. These men have been inter 
viewed and their ideas incorporated 
in this book for the especial benefit 
of boys who want to know the fine 
points of play at this point of the 
diamond. Illustrated with full-page 
pictures. Price 10 cents 



No. 227— How to Play Third 
Base. 

Third base is, in some 
respects, the most impor- 
tant of the infield. No 
major league team has 
over won a pennant with- 
out a great third base- 
man. Collins of the Bos- 
ton Americans and Leach 
of Pittsburg are two of 
the greatest third base- 
men the game has ever seen, and 
their teams owe much of the credit 
fot pennants they have won to 
them. These men in this book de- 
scribe just how they play the posi- 
tion. Everything a player should 
know is clearly set forth and any 
boy will surely increase his chances 
of success by a careful reading of 
this book. Illustrated. Price 10 
Ceuts. 







No. 228— How to Play Short- 
Shortstop is one of the 
hardest positions on the 
infield to fill, and quick 
thought and quick action 
are necessary for a play- 
er who expects to make 
good as a shortstop. The 
views of every well- 
known player who cov- 
ers this position have 

been sought in compiling this book, 

Illustrated. Price 10 cents. 

No. 224— How to Play tlie 
Outfield. 

Compiled especially for 
the young player who 
would become an expert. 
The best book on play- 
ing the outfield that has 
ever been published. 
There are just as many 
tricks to be learned, be- 
fore a player can be a 
competent fielder. a s 
there are in any other position on a 
nine, and this book explains them 
all. Price 10 cents. 

No. 231— How to Coacli; How 
to Captain a Team; How 
to Manage a Team; How 
to Umpire; How to Or- 
ganize a League; Tech- 
nical Terms of Base Ball. 
A useful guide to all 
who are interested in the 
above subjects. Jimmy 
Collins writes on coach- 
ing; M. J. Kelly on cap- 
taining; Al Buckenberger 
on managing; Frank 
Dwyer of the American 
League staff on umpir- 
ing; B'red Lake on minor 
leagues, and the editor. T. H. Mur- 
nane. President of the New England 
League, on how to organize a league. 
The chapters on Technical Terms of 
Base Ball have been written by 
Henry Chadwick, the "Father of 
Base Ball," and define the meaning 
of all the terms peculiar to the Na- 
tional Game. Price 10 cents. 

No. 219— Ready Reckoner of 
Base Ball Percentages. 

To supply a demand 
for a bo<jk which would I 
show the pc^rcentage of 
clubs without recourse to | 
the arduous work of fig 
uring, the publishers I 
have had these tables | 
compiled by an expert. 
Price 10 cents. 





^SPALDING ATHLETIC LIBRARY /y ==> 





BASK BALL. AUXILIARIES. 

No. 291— Minor I^eagne Bsise 
Ball Guide. 

The minors' own guide. 
Contains pictures o f 
leading teams, sebedules, 
report of annual meeting 
National Association of 
Professional Base Ball 
Leagues, special articles 
and official rules. Edited 
by President T. H. Mur- 
nane, of the New England League. 
Price 10 cents. (Ready May 1.) 

No. 293— Official Hantlbook 
of tlie National League 
of Professional Base Ball 

^^"''*^' Contains the Constitu- 
tion, By-Laws, Official 
Rules, Averages, and 
schedule of the Na- 
tional League for the 
current year, together 
with list of club offi- 
cers and reports of the 
annual meetings of the 
League. Every follower 
of the game should have a copy of 
this book if he wants to keep his 
file of Base Ball books complete. 
Price 10 cents. 



Group II. Foot Ball 

No. 2— Spalding's Official 
Foot Ball Guide. 

Edited by Walter 
Camp. Contains the new 
rules, with diagram of 
field; AU- America teams 
as selected by the lead- 
ing authorities; reviews 
of the game from vari- 
ous sections of the coun- 
try; 1905 scores of all 
the leading teams; pic- 
tures of hundreds of players. 
10 cents. 

No. 2S4— How to Play Foot 
Ball. 

Edited by Walter 
Camp. The contents em- 
brace everything that a 
bi'ginner wants to know 
land many points that an 
|exi)ert will be ghid to 
I learn. The pictures are 
made from snapshots of 
] leading teams and phiy- 
ers in action, with com- 
ments by Walter Camp. Price 10 
cents. 







Price 



No. 2A— Spaldingr's Official 
Association Soccer Foot 
Ball Guide. 



A complete and up-to- 
tlate guide to the 
•Soccer" game in the 
United States, containing 
instructions for playing 
the game, official rules, 
and interesting news 
from all parts of the 
country. Illustrated. 

Price 10 cents. 




No. 



286— HoTv 
cer. 



to Play Soc- 




Owing to the great 
interest shown in "Soc- 
cer" foot ball in Amer- 
ica, the publishers have 
had a book compiled in 
England, the home of the 
sport, telling how each 
position should be played, 
written by the best play- 
er in England in his re- 
spective position, and illustrated 
with full-page photographs of play- 
ers in action. As a text-book of 
the game this work is invaluable, 
and no "Soccer" player can afford 
to be without it. Price 10 cents. 



FOOT BALL, AUXILIARIES. 

No. 28.3— Spalding's Official 
Canadian Foot Ball 

Guide. 



Edited by Frank D. 
Woodworth, Secretary- 
n'reasurer Ontario Rugby 
Foot Ball Union. The 
official book of the game 
in Canada. Price 10 
cents. 



No. 294— Official Intercolle- 
giate Association Soccer 
Foot Ball 
Guide. 

Contains the constitu- 
tion and by-laws of the 
Association, pictures of 
tlie teams, and official 
laying rules. Price 10 
cents. 





"^ 



SPALDING ATHLETIC LIBRARY 



/J 



r- 



Group III. Cricket 

No. 3— Spaldins's Official 
Cricket Guide. 

EditL'd by Jerome Flan 
neiy. The most com 
plete year book of the 
game that has ever been 
published In America. 
Reports of special 
matches. official rules 
and pictures of all the 
leading teams. Price 10 
cents. 

No. 277— Cricket; and How 
to Play it. 
By Prince Ranjitsinhji, 

Every department of 

the game is described 

concisely and illustrated 

with full-page pictures 

posed especially for this 

book. The best book 

of instruction on the 

game ever published. 

Price 10 cents. 





Group IV. 



Lawn 
Tennis 




IVo. 4— Spalding's Official 
Lawn Tenuiis Annual. 

Edited by H. P. Bur- 
chell, of the New York 
Times. Contents include 
a report of every impor- 
tant tournament played 
in 1906, embracing the 
National Championship, 
sectional and State tour- 
naments; invitation and 
open tournaments; inter- 
collegiate and interscholastic cham- 
pionships; women's national cham- 
pionships; foreign championships; in- 
door championships; official ranking 
for each year from 1885 to 1906; 
laws of lawn tennis; instructions for 
handicapping; decisions on doubtful 
points; regulations for the manage- 
ment of tournaments; directoiy of 
clubs; directions for laying out and 
keeping a court; tournament notes. 
Illustrated with pictures of leading 
players. Price 10 cents. 

No. l.'»7 — How^ to Play Lawn 
Tennis. 

A complete description 
of lawn tennis; a lesson 
for beginners and direc- 
tions telling how to 
make the most impor- 
tant strokes. Illustrated, 
Price 10 cents. 





Golf 

Official 




No. 379 — Strokes and Science 
of La^vn Tennis. 

By P. A. Vaile, a 
leading authority on the 
game in Great Britain. 
Every stroke in the 
game is accurately illus- 
trated and analyzed by 
the author. As a means 
of affording a compari- 
son between the Amer- 
ican and the English 
methods of play, this book is ex- 
tremely useful. Price 10 cents. 

Group V. 

No. 5— Spaldinsr's 
Golf Guide. 

The leading annual of 
the game in the United 
States. Contains rec- 
ords of all important 
tournaments, articles on 
the game in various sec- 
tions of the country, 
pictures of prominen 
players, official playing 
rules and general items 
of interest. Price 10 cts. 

No. 276— How to Play Golf. 

By James Braid, the 
English Open Champion 
of 1906. A glance at 
the chapter headings 
will give an idea of the 
variety and value of the 
contents: Beginners' 
wrong ideas; method of 
tuition; choosing the 
clubs; how to grip the 
club; stance and address in driving; 
the upward swing in driving, etc.; 
Numerous full-page pictures of Cham- 
pion Braid in action add to the 
book's attractiveness. Price 10 cts. 

Group VI. Hockey 

No. 6--Spaldinff's Official Ice 
Hockey Guide. 

Written by the most 
famous player in Can- 
ada, A. Farrell, of the 
Shamrock hockey team | 
of Montreal. It contains 
a complete description | 
(if hockey, its origin, 
j)oints of a good player, 
and an instructive ar-i 
tide on how game is 
played, with diagrams and official 
rules. Illustrated with pictures of 
leading teams. Price 10 cents. 





g ^ SPALDING ATHLETIC LIBRARY / 7^ 





No. 154— Field Hockey. 

To those in need of 
vigorous and healthful 
out-of-doors exer c i s e, 
this game is recom- 
mended highly. Its 
healthful attributes are 
manifold and the inter- 
est of player and spec- 
tator alike is kept ac- 
tive through out the 
progress of the game. The game is 
prominent in the sports at Vassar, 
Smith, Wellesley, Bryn Mawr and 
other leading colleges. Price lu cents. 

IV o. 188 — Lawn 
Hockey, Garden 
Hockey, Parlor 
Hockey. 

Containing the rules 
for each game. Illus- 
trated. Price 10 cents. 

No. 180— Ring Hockey. 

A new game for the 
gymnasium, invented by 
Dr. J. M. Vorhees of 
Pratt Institute, Brook- 
lyn, that has sprung 
into instant popularity; 
as exciting as basket 
ball. This book contains 
official rules. Price 10 
cents. 

HOCKEY AUXILIARY. 

No. 22.5<>— Official Handbook 

of the Ontario Hockey 

Association. 

Edited by W. A. Hew- 
itt, of Toronto. Con- 
tains the official rules 
of the Association, con- 
stitution, rules of com- 
petition, list of officers, 
and pictures of leading 
players. Price 10 cents. 






Group VII. 



Basket 
Ball 



No. 7— Spalding's Official 
Ba.sket Ball Guide. 

Edited by (Jeorge T. 
llepliron. (Nintaius the 
revi.sed official rules, de- 
cisions on disputed 
points, records of promi- 
nent teams, reports on 
the game from various 
parts of the country, 
and pictures of hundreds 
of players. Price 10 cents. 





No. 193— How to Play Basket 
Ball. 

By G. T. Hepbron, 
editor of the Official 
Basket Ball Guide. Con- 
tains full instructions 
for players, both for the 
expert and the novice, 
duties of officials, and 
specially posed full-page 
pictures showing the cor- 
rect and incorrect meth- 
ods of playing. The demand for a 
book of this character is fully satis- 
tied in this publication, as many 
points are included which could not 
be incorporated in the annual publi- 
cation of the Basket Ball Guide for 
want of room. Price 10 cents. 

No. 260— Official Basket Ball 
Guide for Women. 

__, Edited by Miss Senda 
■'"'*'■ Eerenson, of Smith Col- 
lege. Contains the of- 
ficial playing rules of 
the game and special ar- 
ticles on the following 
subjects: Games for 
women, by E. Hitchcock, 
Director of Physical 
Training, and Dean of 
College, Amherst College; condition 
of women's basket ball in the Mid- 
dle West, by W. P. Bowen, Michigan 
State Normal College; psychological 
effects of basket ball for women, by 
Dr. L. H. Gulick; physiological ef- 
fects of basket ball, by Theodore 
Hough, Ph. D. ; significance of basket 
ball for women, by Senda Berenson; 
relative merit of the Y. M. C. A. 
rules and women's rules, by Augusta 
Lane Patrick; A Plea for Basket 
Ball, by Julie Ellsbee Sullivan. 
Teachers' College, New York; dia- 
gram of field. Illustrated with 
many pictures of basket ball teams. 
Price 10 cents. 

BASKET BALL, AUXILIARY. 

No. 278— Collegriate Basket 
Ball Guide. 

The official publication 
of the new Collegiate E^ 
Basket Ball Associa- \ 
tion. Contains the of- 
ficial rules, collegiate 
and high school records, 
All America selections, 
reviews of the collegiate 
basket ball season of 
1005-6. and pictures of 
all the prominent college teams and 
individual players. Edited by H. A. 
Fisher, of Columbia. Price 10 cts. 




g=^ SPALDING ATHLETIC LIBRARY //^ 




Group VIII. Bowling 

No. 8— Spalding's Official 
Bowling Guide. 

Edited by S. Karpf. 
Serretary of the Amer- 
ican Bowling Congress. 
The contents include: 
History of the sport; 
diagrams of effective de- 
liveries; how to bowl; a 
few hints to beginners; 
American Bowling Con- 
gress ; the national 
championships; how to build an al- 
ley; how to score; spares — how they 
are made. Rules for cocked, hat, 
cocked hat and feather, quintet, bat- 
tle game, nine up and nine down, 
head pin and four back, ten pins — 
head pin out. five back, the Newport 
game, ten pin head. Price 10 cents. 

,^ Indoor 
Group IX. Base Ball 

No. 9— SpaldingrVs Official In- 
door Base Ball Guide. 

America's nat 1 o n a 1 
game is now vieing with 
other Indoor games as a 
winter pastime. This 
book contains the play- 
ing rules, pictures of 
leading teams from all 
parts of the country, 
and interesting articles 
on the game by leading 
authorities on the subject, 
cents. 






Price 10 



Group X. 



Polo 




No. 10— Spalding's 
Official Roller 
Polo Guide. 

Edited by J. 0. Morse. 
A full description of the 
game; oflBcial rules, rec 
ords. Price 10 cents. 



No. 129— Water Polo 

The contents of this 
book treat of every de- 
tail, the individual work 
of the players, the prac- 
tice of the team, how 
to throw the ball, with 
Illustrations and many 
valuable hints. Price 
10 cents. 






No. 199— Equestrian Polo. 

Compiled by H. L, 
Fitzpatrick of the New 
York Sun. Illustrated 
v.ith portraits of lead- 
ing players and contains 
most useful information 
for polo players. Price 
10 cents. 

_ ^^ Miscellane- 
GroupXI. ous Games 

No. 201 — Lacrosse. 

By William C. 
Schmeisser, c ai p" t a i n 
.Johns Hopkins Univer-| 
sity champion intercol- 
legiate lacrosse team of I 
1902; edited by Ronald | 
T. Abercrombie, ex-cap- 
tain and coach of Johns 
Hopkins University la- 
crosse team, 190<)-19n4.' 
Every position is thoroughly ex- 
plained in a most simple and concise 
manner, rendering it the best manual 
of the game ever published. Illus- 
trated with numerous snapshots of 
important plays. Price 10 cents. 

No. 248— Archery. 

A new and up-to-date 
book on this fascinating 
pastime. Edited by Mr. 
Louis Maxson of Wash- 
ington, D. C, ex-Na- 
tional champion. Con- 
tains a history of arch- 
ery from its revival as a 
pastime in the eighteenth 
century to the present 
time, with list of winners and scores 
of the English Grand championships 
from 1844; National Archery Associa- 
tion of the United States winners 
and scores; the several varieties of 
archery; Instructions for shooting; 
how to select implements; how to 
score; and a great deal of interest- 
ing information on the game. Illus- 
trated. Price 10 cents. 

No. 138— Spalding's Official 
Croquet Guide 

Contains directions for] 
playing, diagrams of im- 
portant strokes, descrip- 
tion of grounds, instruc- 
tions for the beginner, 
terms used in the game, 
and the official playing 
rules. Price 10 cents. 





<^ SPALDING ATHLETIC LffiRARY/T^ 




IVo. 271— SpaldinR's Official 
Koiiiie Guide. 

The official publication 
of the National Roque 
Association of America 
Edited by Prof. Charles 
Jacobus, ex-cham p i o n 
Contains a description 
of the courts and their 
construction, diagrams 
of the field. illustra- 
tions, rules and valuable 
information. Price 10 cents. 



No. 194 — Ractiuet.s, Squash- 
Racquets and Court Ten- 
nis. 

The need of an au- 
thoritative handbook at 
a popular price on these 
games is tilled by this 
booli. How to play each 
game is thoroughly ex- 
plained, and all the dif- 
ficult strolies shown l)y 
special photo graphs 
talien especially for this 
boolj. Contains the official rules for 
each game, with photographs of 
well-known courts. Price iO cents. 



No 13— How to Play Hand 
Ball. 







By the world's cham- 
pion, Michael Egan, of 
Jersey City. This book 
has 'been rewritten and 
l)rought up to date in 
every particular. Every 
I'lay is thoroughly ex- 
plained by text and 
diagram. The numerous 
illustrations consist of 
full pages made from photographs of 
Champion Egan, showing him In all 
his characteristic attitudes. Price 
10 cents. 



No. 167— Quoits. 

Hy M. W. Deshong. 
'ihe need of a book on 
this interesting game 
has been felt i)y many 
w ho wished to know the 
fine points and tricks 
used by the experts. 
Mr. Deshong explains 
them, with illustrations, 
so that a novice can 
readily understand Price 




10 cents. 



No. 170— Push Ball. 

Played with an air- 
infiated ball G feet in 
diameter, weighing about 
oO pounds, A side con- 
sists of eleven men. 
'this book contains the 
official rules and a 
sketch of the game; il- 
lustrated. Price 10 
cents. 



Xo. 14— Curling. 






A short history of 
this famous Scottish 
pastime, with instruc- 
tions for play, rules of 
the game, definitions of 
terms and diagrams of 
different shots. Price 
10 cents. 



No. 2()7 — Bo-wling on the 
Green; or, LaTvn Boivls. 

How to construct a 
green; necessary equip- 
ment; how to play the 
game, and the official 
rules as promulgated by 
the Scottish Bowling 
Association. Edited by 
James W. Greig. Illus- 
trated. Price 10 cents. 



No. 188— Lawn Games. 



Contains the rules for 
Lawn Hockey. Garden 
Hockey, Hand Tennis, 
Tether Tennis; also Vol- 
ley Ball, Parlor Hockey, 
Badminton, Basket Goal. 
Price 10 cents. 



No. 189— Children's Games. 

Compiled by Jessie II. 
Bancroft, director of 
physical training, depart- 
ment of education, New 
York City. These games 
are intended for use at 
I'ocesses, and all but the 
team games have been 
adapted to large classes. 
Siiitabli> for children 
from three to eight years, and in- 
clude a great variety. Price 10 cts. 





<^ SPALDING ATHLETIC LIBRARY /7=> 




Group Xn. Athletics 

Ko. 12— Spaldinj?*s Official 
Athletic Almanac. 

Compiled by J. E. Sul- 
livan, Chief Department 
Physical Culture, Louis- 
iana Purchase Exposi- 
tion, Director Olympic 
Games, 1904, Special 
Commissioner from the 
United States to the 
Olympic Games at Ath- 
ens, 1906. and President 
of the Amateur Athletic Union. The 
only annual publication now issued 
that contains a complete list of ama- 
teur best-on-records; complete inter- 
collegiate records; complete English 
records from 1866; swimming rec- 
ords; interscholastic records; Irish, 
Scotch, Continental, South African 
and Australasian records; important 
athletic events and numerous photos 
of individual athletes and leading 
athletic teams. Price 10 cents. 

No. 27— College Athletics. 

M. C. Murphy, the 
well-known athletic 
trainer, now with Penn- 
sylvania, the author of 
this book, has written it 
especially for the school- 
boy and college man, 
but it is invaluable for 
the athlete who wishes 
to excel in any branch 
of athletic sport. The subjects com- 
prise the following articles: Train- 
ing, starting, sprinting; how to train 
for the quarter, half, mile and longer 
distances; walking; high and broad 
jumping; hurdling; pole vaulting; 
throwing the hammer. It is profuse- 
ly illustrated with pictures of lead- 
ing athletes. Price 10 cents. 

No. 182— All-Around Ath- 
letics. 

Gives in full the 
method of scoring the 
All-Around Cham p i o n- 
ship, giving percentage 
tables showing" what 
each man receives for 
each performance in 
each of the ten events. 
It contains as well in- 
stnictivi' articles on how 
to train for the .\ll-.\round Cham- 
pionship. Illustrated with many pic- 
tures of champions in action and 
scores at all-around meets. Prico 
10 ceQts. 







No. 15G— Athlete's Guide. 

How to become an 
athlete. It contains full 
instnictions for the be- 
ginner, telling how to 
sprint, hurdle, jump and 
throw weights, general 
hints on training; in 
fact, this book is one 
of the most complete on 
the subject that has 
ever appeared. Special chapters con- 
tain valuable advice to beginners and 
important A, A. U. rules and their 
explanations, while the pictures com- 
prise many scenes of champions in 
action. Price 10 cents. 

No. 87— Athletic Primer. 

Etlited by James E. 
Sullivan. President of 
the Amateur Athletic 
Union. Tells how to or- 
ganize an athletic club, 
how to conduct an ath- 
letic meeting, and gives 
rules for the govern- 
ment of athletic meet- 
ings; contents also in- 
clude directions for building a track 
and laying out athletic grounds, and 
a very instructive article on train- 
ing; fully illustrated with pictures of 
leading athletes. Price 10 cents. 

No. 273— The Olympic Games 
at Athens, 1906. 

A complete account of 
the Olympic Games of 
1906. at Athens. the 
greatest Internati o n a 1 
Athletic Contest ever 
held. Containing a short 
history of the games, 
story of the American 
team's trip and their 
reception at Atheni? 
complete list of starters in every 
event; winners, their times and dis- 
tances; the Stadium; list of winners 
in previous Olympic Games at Ath- 
ens. Paris and St. Louis, and a great 
deal of other interesting information. 
Compiled by J. E. Sullivan. Special 
Comraissionm- from the United States 
to the Olympic Games. Price 10 cts. 

No. 252— How to Sprint. 

A complete and de- 
tailed account of how to 
11 a in for the short dis- 
tances. Everj- athlete 
who aspires to be a 
sprinter can study this 
book to advantage and 
gain useful knowledge. 
Price 10 ccntB. 





^SPALDING ATHLETIC LIBRARY/ 7^ 




No. 255— How to Run lOO 
Yards. 

By J. W. Morton, the 
noted British champion. 
Written by Mr. Morton 
during his recent Amer- 
ican trip, in 1905, es- 
pecially for boys. Mr. 
Morton knows how to 
handle his subject, and 
his advice and direc- 
tions for atta i n i n g 
speed, will undoubtedly be of im- 
mense assistance to the great ma- 
jority of boys who have to rely on 
printed instructions. Many of Mr. 
Morton's methods of training are 
novel to American athletes, but his 
success is the best tribute to their 
worth. Illustrated with photographs 
of Mr. Morton in action, taken es- 
pecially for this book in New York 
City. Price 10 cents. 

No. 174— Distance and Cross- 
country Running^. 

By George Orton, the 
famous University of 
Pennsylvania runner. 
Tells how to become 
proficient at the quar- 
ter, half, mile, the 
longer distances, and 
c r o s s-country running 
and steeplechasing. with 
instructions for training 
and schedules to be observed when 
preparing for a contest. Illustrated 
with numerous pictures of leading 
athletes in action, with comments by 
the editor on the good and bad 
points shown. Price 10 cents. 

No. 246- Athletic Training 
for Schoolboys. 

This book is the most 
complete work of its 
kind yet attempted. The 
compiler is Geo. W. Or- 
tun, of the University 
of Pennsylvania, a fa- 
mous athlete himself 
and who is well quail 
tied to give instructions 
io the beginner. Each 
event in the intercollegiate pro- 
gramme is treated of ser)arately, 
lioth as regards method of training 
and form. By following the direc- 
tions given, the young athlfte will 
tie sure to benefit himself without the 
danger of overworking as many have 
done through Ignorance,, rendering 
themselves unfitted for their task 
when the day of competition arrived. 
Price 10 cents. 







No. 259— Weigrht Throwing. 

By James S. Mitchel, 
Champion American 
weight thrower, and 
holder of American, 
Irish, British and Cana- 
dian champio n s h i p s. 
Probably no other man 
in the world has had 
the varied and long ex- 
perience of James S. 
Mitchel in the weight throwing de- 
partment of athletics. The book is 
wrltton in an instructive way, and 
gives valuable information not only 
for the novice, but for the expert as 
well. Illustrated. Price 10 cents. 

No. 55— Official Sporting 
Rnles. 

Contains rules not 
found in other publica- 
tions for the government 
of many sports; rules 
for wrestling, shuffle- 
board, snowshoeing, pro- 
fessional racing, pigeon 
flying, dog racing, pistol 
and revolver shooting, 
British water polo rules, 
Rugby foot ball rules. Price 10 cts. 

ATHLETIC AUXILIARIES. 

No. 241— Official Handbook 
of the A.A.U. 

The A.A.U. is the 
governing body of ath- 
letes in the United 
States of America, and 
all games must be held 
under its rules, which 
are exclusively published 
in this handbook, and a 
copy should be in the 
hands of every athlete 
and every club oflScer in America. 
This book contains the official rules 
for running, jumping, weight throw- 
ing, hurdling, pole vaulting, swim- 
ming, boxing, wrestling, etc. Price 
10 cents. 

No. 217— Olympic Handbook. 

Compiled by J. E. Sul- 
livnii. Chief Department 
Physical Culture, Louis- 
iana Purchase Exposi- 
tion, and Director Olym- 
pic Games. 1904. Con- 
tains a complete report 
of the Olympic Games 
of 1904, with list of 
records and pictures of 
hundreds of athletes: also reports of 
the games of 1806 and 1900. Price 
10 cents. 





g>: \ SPALDING ATHLETIC LIBRARY/ 7^ 





No. 292— Official Intercolle- 
griate A.A.A.A. Handbook. 

Contains constitution, 
by-laws, laws of ath- 
letics and rules to gov- 
ern the awarding of the 
championship cup of the 
Intercollegiate Afhletic 
Association of Amateur 
Athletes of America, 
the governing body in 
college athletics. Con- 
tains ofBcial intercollegiate records 
from 1876 to date, with the winner's 
name and time in each event, list of 
points won by each college, and list 
of officers of the association from 
1889. Price 10 cents. 

No. 245— Official Y.M.C.A. 
Handbook. 

Edited by G. T. Hep- 
bron, the w^ell-known 
athletic authority. It 
contains the official rules 
governing all sports un- 
der the jurisdiction of 
the Y.M.C.A., a com- 
plete report of the 
physical directors' con- 
ference, official Y.M.C.A. 
scoring tables, pentathlon rules, many 
pictures of the leading Y.M.C.A. 
athletes of the country; official Y.M. 
CA. athletic rules, constitution and 
by-laws of the Athletic League of 
Y.M.C.A., all-around indoor test, vol- 
ley ball rules; illustrated. Price 10 
cents. 

No. 2S1— Official Handbook 
of the Public Schools 
Athletic League. 

This is the official 
handbook of the Public 
Schools Athletic League, 
which embraces all the 
liublic schools of Greater 
New York. It contains 
the official rules that 
govern all the contests 
of the league, and con- 
stitution, by-laws and 
officers. Edited by Dr. Luther Hal- 
sey Gulick, superintendent of phy- 
sical education in the New York 
public schools. Illustrated. Price 
10 cents. 

No. 274— Intercol- 
legiate Cross 
Country Hand- 
book. 
Contains constitution 
and by-laws, list of of- 
ficers, and records of the 
association. Price 10 
cents. 






Group Xm. Athletic 
Accomplishments 

No. 177— How to STvim, 

By J. H. Sterrett, a 
leading American swim- 
ming authority. The in- 
structions will interest 
the expert as well as the 
novice; the illustrations 
were made from photo- 
graphs especially posed, 
showing the swimmer in 
clear water; a valuable 
feature is the series of "land drill" 
exercises for the beginner, which is 
illustrated by many drawings. The 
contents comprise: A plea for educa- 
tion in swimming; swimming as an 
exercise and for development; land 
drill exercises; plain swimming; best 
methods of learning; the breast 
stroke, etc, etc Price 10 cents. 

No. 29(>— Speed S^vimniing. 

By Champion C. M. 
Daniels of the New 
York Athletic Club team, 
holder of numerous 
American records, and 
the best swimmer in 
America qualified to 
write on the subject. 
Any boy should be able 
to increase his speed in 
the water after reading Champion 
Daniels' instructions on the subject. 
Price 10 cents. 

No. 128- How to Row. 

By E. J. Giannini, of 
the New York A. C, 
one of America's most 
famous amateur oars- 
men and champi o n s. 
This book will instruct 
any one who is a lover 
of rowing how to be- 
come an expert. It ia 
fully illustrated, show- 
ing how to hold the oars, the finish 
of the stroke and other information 
that will prove valuable to the be- 
ginner. Price 10 cents. 
No. 23— Canoeing. 

Paddling, sailing, 
cruising and racing ca- 
noes and their uses; 
with hints on rig and 
management; the choice 
of a canoe; sailing ca- 
noes; racing regula- 
tions; canoe 1 n g and 
camping. Fully Illus- 
trated. Price 10 cents. 






'^SPALDING ATHLETIC LIBRARY /^= 





No. 209— HOT*^ to Become a 
Skater. 

('(►iitaius advice for be- 
giuinTs; how to become 
u figure sliater thorough 
ly explained, with many 
diagrams showing how 
do all the different 
•ks of the best tignre 
skaters. Illustrated with 
pictures of prominent 
skaters and numerous 
diagrams. Trice 10 cents. 

No. 2S2- Official Roller 
Skating Guide. 

Contains directions for 
becoming proficient as a 
fancy and trick roller 
skater, and rules for 
roller skating. Pictures 
of prominent trick skat- 
ers in action. Price 10 
cents. 

No. 17S— Hot*- to Train for 
Bicycling:. 

(Mv(>s methods of the 
brst riders when train- 
ing for long or short 
distance races; hints 
on training. Revised 
and up-to-date In every 
particular. Price 10 
cents. 

Group XIV. f^il 

No. 140— Wrestling. 

Catch as catch can 
style. By E. H. Hitch- 
cock. M.I)., of Cornell, 
and R. F. Nelligan, of 
Amherst College. The 
book contains n e a r 1 y 
seventy illustrations n"f 
the different holds, phd- 
tographed especially and 
so described that any- 
body who desires to become expert 
in wrestling can with little effort 
learn every one. Price 10 cents. 

No. IS— Fencing. 

By Dr. Edward Brock, 
of Boston, editor of the 
Swordsman, and a jjromi- 
nent amateur fencer. A 
>k that has stood the 
tosi of time, and is uni- 
versally acknowledged to 
be a standard work. Il- 
lustrated. Price 10 cents. 








No. 1G2— Boxing Gnide. 

For many years books 
hav(> l)een issued on the 
art of boxing, but it 
has remained for us to 
arrange a book that we 
think is sure to till all 
demands. It contains 
over 7(1 i)ages of illus- 
trations showing all the 
latest blows, posed es- 
pecially for this book under the 
supervision of a well-known instruc- 
tor of boxing, who makes a specialty 
of teaching and knows how to im- 
part his knowledge. Price 10 cents. 

No. 165 — Tlie Ai't of Fencing. 

This is a new book by 
Regis and Louis Senac, 
<if New York, famous 
instructors and leading 
authorities on the sub- 
ject. Messrs. Senac give 
in detail how every 
move should be made, 
and tell it so clearly 
chat anyone can follow 
the instructions. Price 10 cents. 

No. 2.36— How to Wrestle. 

Without question the 
most complete and up- 
to-date book on wrest- 
ling that has ever been 
printed. Edited by F. 
R. Toombs, and devoted 
principally to special 
poses and illustrations 
by George H a c k e n- 
schmidt, the "Russian 
Lion." Price 10 cents. 

No. 102— Ground Tumbling. 

By Prof. Henry Walter 
Worth, who was for 
years physical director 
»f the Armour Institute 
»f Technology. A n y 
loy, by reading this 
l>ook and following the 
instructions, can become 
proficient. Price 10 cents. 
No. 2S}>— Tumbling for Ama- 
teurs, ^j^jg, |,,„,j. ,^^.j^g special- 
ly compiled for the use 
of amateurs by Dr. 
James T. Gwathmey, 
director of the Vander- 
bilt University Gymnas- 
ium. Na.shville, Tenn. 
Every variety of the pas- 
time is explained by 
text and pictures, the 
latter forming a very important fea- 
tur<> of the hook, over 100 different 
positions being shown. Price 10 cts. 






^SPALDING ATHLETIC LIBRARY // 



No. 191— How 
Bag. 



.o Punch th.e 







By W. II. Rothwt'l 
("Young Corbi'tt"). This 
book is undoubtPdly the 
best treatise on bag 
punching that has ever 
been printed. Every va- 
riety of blow used in 
training is shown and 
explained. The pictures 
(■ o m p rise thirty-three 
full page reproductions of Young 
Corbett as he appears while at work 
in his training quarters. The photo- 
graphsi were taken by our special ar- 
tist and cannot be seen in any other 
publication. Fancy bag punching is 
treated by a well-known theatrical 
bag puncher, who shows the latest 
tricks. Price 10 cents. 

No. 14.3— Indian Clubs 
Dumb-Bells. 

Two of the most pop- 
ular forms of home or 
gymnasium exe r c i s e. 
This book is written by 
A ni e r i ca's amateur 
champion club swinger, 
J. H. Dougherty. It is 
clearly illustrated, by 
which any novice can 
become an expert. Price 

No. 166— How to Swing In- 
dian Clubs. 

By Prof. E. B. War- 
man, the well-known ex- 
ponent of physical cul- 
ture. By following the 
directions carefully any- 
one can become an ex- 
pert. Price 10 cents. 

No. 200— Dumb-Bells. 

This is undoubtedly 
the best work on dumb- 
bells that has ever lieen 
offered. The author, 
Mr. G. Bojus. was for- 
merly superintendent of 
physical culture in the 
Elizabeth (N. J.) public 
schools, instructor at 
Columbia University (New 
York), instructor for four years at 
the Columbia summer school and is 
now proprietor of the Park Place 
Gymnasium, at 14 Park Place, New 
York City. The book contains 20i) 
photographs of all the various exer- 
cises with the instructions in large, 
readable type. It should be in the 
hands of every teacher and pupil of 
physical culture, and is invaluable 
for home exercise. Price lo cents. 





No. 262— Medicine Ball Ex- 
ercises. 

This book is not a 
technical treatise, but a 
series of plain and prac- 
tical exerci-ses with the 
medicine ball, suitable 
for boys and girls, busi- 
ness and professional 
men, in and out of gym- 
nasium. Lengthy ex- 
planation and technical 
nomenclature have been avoided and 
illustrations used instead. The exer- 
cises are fascinating and attractive, 
and avoid any semblance of drud- 
gery. Edited by W. J. Cromie, 
physical director Germantown (Pa.) 
"''"''" ' " ■ 10 cents. 




Y.M.C.A. Prict 



iPALDINGg 






No. 29— Pulley Weight Exer- 
cises. 

By Dr. Henry S. An- 
derson, instructor in 
heavy gymnastics Yale 
gymnasium, Ander s o ii 
Normal School, Chautau- 
qua University. In con- 
junction with a chest 
machine anyone with 
this book can become^ 
l.erfectly developed I'riee 10 cents. 

No. 2.3.3— Jiu Jitsu. 

A complete description 
of this famous Japanese 
system of self-defence. 
Each move thoroughly 
explained and illustrat- 
ed with numerous full- 
page pictures of Messrs. 
A. Minami and K. Ko- 
yama, two of the most 
famous exponents of the 
art of Jiu Jitsu, who posed espe- 
cially for this book. Be sure and 
ask for the Spalding Athletic Library 
book on Jiu Jitsu. Price 10^ cents. 



Group XV. 

Gymnastics 

No. 104— The Grading: of 
Gymnastic Exercises. 

By G. M. Martin, 
Hiysical Director of the 
Y. M. C. A. of Youngs- 
tf.wn, Ohio. It is a 
liook that should be in 
the hands of every phy- 
sical director of the 
Y. M. C. A., school, 
dub, college, etc. Price 





1 ^ SPALDING ATHLETIC LIBRARY/ ^ 





JVo. 214— Graded Calistlien- 
ics and Daiub-Bell Drills. 

By Albeit B. Weg- 
ener, Physical Director 
Y. M. C. A., Rochester, 
N. Y. Ever since gi-aded 
apparatus work has 
been used in gymnas- 
tics, the necessity of 
having a mass drill that 
would harmonize with it 
has been felt. For years 
it has been the established custom in 
most gymnasiums of memorizing a 
set drill, never varied from one 
year's end to the other. Conse- 
quently the beginner was given the 
same kind and amount as the older 
member. With a view to giving uni- 
formity the present treatise is at- 
tempted. Price 10 cents. 



No. 254 — Barnjum 
Bar Bell Drill. 

Edited by Dr. R. Tait 
McKenzie, Director Phy- 
sical Training, Univer- 
sity of Pennsylvania. 
Profusely illr'^tr a t e d. 
Price 10 cents. 



No. 158— Indoor and Outdoor 
Gymnastic Games. 

Without question one 
of the best books of its 
kind ever published. 
Compiled by Prof. A. M. 
Chesley, the well-known 
Y. M. C. A. physical di- 
rector. It is a book 
that will prove valuable 
to indoor and outdoor 
g y m nasiums. schools, 
outings and gatherings where there 
are a number to be amused. The 
games described comprise a list of 
120, divided into several groups. 
Price lu cents. 

No. 124 — HovF to Become a 
Gymnast. 

By Robert Stoll, of 
the New York A. C, the 
American champion on 
the flying rings from 
1885 to 1892. Any boy 
who frequents a gym- 
nasium can easily fol- 
low the illustrations and 
instructions in this book 
and with a little prac- 
tice become proficient on the hori- 
zontal and parallel bars, the trapeze 
or the "horse." Price lU cents. 




JNo. 2S7— Fancy Dumb Bell 
and Marching^ Drills. 

By W. J. Cromie, 
Physical Director Ger- 
mantown (Pa.) Y.M. 
C.A. The author says: 
All concede that games 
and recreative exercises 
during the adolescent 
period are preferable to 
set drills and monoton- 
ous movements. If we 
can introduce this game-and-play 
element in our gymnastic exercises, 
then dumb bells will cease to be the 
boy's nightmare, and he will look 
forward with expectancy to mass 
work as much as he formerly did to 
"shooting a goal." These drills, 
while designed primarily for boys, 
can be used successfully with girls 
and men and women. Profusely il- 
lustrated. Price lu cents. 




Group XVL 



Physical 
Culture 





No. 161— Ten Minutes' Exer- 
cise for Busy Men. 

By Dr. Luther Halsey 
Gulick, Director of Phy- 
sical Training in the 
New Y'ork public schools. 
Anyone who is looking 
for a concise and com- 
plete course of physical 
education at home would 
do well to procure a 
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No. 20S— Pliysical Education 
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g^ N^PM^ G ATHLETIC LIBRARY /P 




^m 




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Kee 





James Braid, Open Champion. 



I 



I SPALDING ATHLETIC LIBRARY 
(C, Group V No. 276 



How to Play Golf 



By 
JAMES BRAID 

English Open Champion. 1901, 1905. 1906" 



And 

HARRY VARDON 

English Open Champion, 1896, 1898, 1899. 1903 
American Open Champion, 1900 



o(??)(^J)o 



Published by 

AMERICAN SPORTS PUBLISHING COMPANY 

21 Warren Street, New York 
Copyright. 1907, by Amei-ican Sports Publishing Company 



Two OoDlftS Wc«;^'Vi5d ; 



JUL S J90? 5 _ \|^- ^ ; 

ANNOUNCEMENT 



,: Wri, 






We publish herewith with the consent of the British Sports 
Pubhshing Company, Ltd., of London, England, their copy- 
righted book "How to Play Golf," by James Braid, English Open 
Champion of IQOI, 1905 and 1906. Braid's book has had an 
enormous sale throughout Great Britain and on the Continent, 
and it is admitted to be by golf experts the best book of its kind 
ever published, 

"Golfing," the leading British publication on the game of 
golf, says: 

"Simply and straightforwardly written, Champion Braid's book 
contains more solid and useful information to the square inch 
than you will find in nine out of ten treatises on golf brought out 
at a much higher price. Though Braid himself would probably 
be the first man to disclaim any literary style for his little efifort, 
the style is there, nevertheless, direct, honest, and to the point, 
like the game of golf played by the man who wrote it. * * * It 
is a plain and lucid book of practical instructions, penned without 
a suggestion of literary frills, and illustrated with some capital 
photographs and diagrams." 

In addition to the Braid article a chapter by Harry Vardon on 
how to play the game is also included. It is a lucid and instruc- 
tive contribution and is illustrated with pictures of Vardon in all 

his characteristic attitudes wh'^r? playing. We venture to say 

• • • 
that in no other publication cfafi be found the teachings of such 

famous exemplars of the royal and ancient game as are James 

Braid and Harry Vardon. 

American Sports Publishing Co. 



CONTENTS 











PAGE 


I. Beginners' Wrong Ideas ... 6 


II. Method of Tuition 






13 


III. Choosing the Clubs 






17 


IV. How to Grip the Club . 






23 


V. Stance and Address in Driving. 






31 


VI. The Upward Swing in Driving. 






41 


VII. The Top of the Swing . 






47 


VIII. The Downward Swing 








52 


IX. Finishing the Stroke 








55 


X. The Long Ball . 








61 


XI. Pulling and Slicing 








67 


XII. Playing in the Wind 








71 


XIII. BrasseyPlay 








74 


XIV. Play with Iron Clubs 








79 


XV. Cleek Shots 








87 


XVI. The Iron . 








97 


XVII. The Running-up Shot 








100 


XVIII. The Mashie 








103 


XIX. The Niblick 








III 


XX. Putting . 








119 


XXI. Playing the Round 








123 


XXII. Through the Year 








127 


Harry Vardon Tells How to Play 


Golf 






139 


The Ideal Course . 








155 


The Triumvirate . • 








157 



Spalding's Athletic Library, 



1. 

BEGINNERS' WRONG IDEAS. 

When a man first decides that he will devote himself to the 
game of golf he has generally something to unlearn at the very 
outset, even though he has never attempted to strike a ball 
with a driver in his life. In nine cases out of ten he must 
abandon all his preconceived notions about the game. He 
must reaHse that so far from being the easy thing to play that 
it seems when one watches a capable exponent driving long 
balls and placing short shots quite near to the hole almost 
every time, it is an exceedingly difficult thing, and that pro- 
ficiency, even in the case of the most athletic and adaptable 
persons, is only to be acquired as the result of years of the 
most patient and painstaking practice and of the most careful 
thought and study of the scientific side of the game. No 
game demands more scientific accuracy than golf, and there 
is no game in which shots that are not well played more 
surely meet with their just punishment. In the reverse there 
is no game in which small degrees of skill count more regu- 
larly in favour of the man who possesses them. The things 
that look easiest in golf are generally the hardest, and it some- 
times takes a man years to learn properly how to raise his 
club upwards in the swing back before striking the ball— in 
fact some players go through a lifetime without acquiring the 
proper method, and their game throughout suffers accordingly. 



Spalding'' s Athletic Library. -y 

If the beginner can be brought to reahse this simple truth 
about the difficulty of the game, and of the necessity of taking 
it most seriously, he will have gained a great deal. One may 
then tell him that despite all the drudgery of painstaking 
practice that he will have to undergo, and the thousands of 
severe disappointments that he must inevitably endure, it does 
not follow that all the period of his studentship will be dull 
and uninteresting. It will be far from that. The game will 
interest him and fascinate him almost as much after his first 
few lessons as it will do in many after-years. He will find 
that it is its disappointments and difficulties that make it a 
game so well worth the playing ; and that, while he will be 
intensely aggravated on some days because he can do nothing 
right and because it seems that he has forgotten everything 
that he had learned in months before, he will be corre- 
spondingly elated when the skill that he has acquired comes 
back to him, as it always does, with a little bit added to it 
as the reward of his persistence. 

The golfer finds himself so constantly and keenly ambitious 
as does the player of no other game. He may be indifferent 
as to how well or badly he plays other games in which he con- 
stantly takes part so long as he can play them in such a manner 
as " not to make a fool of himself," as he would put it, and when 
he first thinks he will take up golf that may be his attitude 
towards it, and he may say to himself that if he gets the 
exercise and the fresh air that is all that he wants. But he 
will speedily find, as every one before him has done, that in 
spite of himself he will soon be yearning for more and more 
skill, and that never throughout his golfing life will he ever 
be satisfied. The men who have won championships still 



g Spalding's Athletic Library, 

realise their weaknesses and long for more skill just as much 
as the beginner who even finds it to be a matter of difficulty 
to hit the ball at all when taking a full swing at it with a 
driver. 

As I have just said, the man who has brought himself 
under advice to this attitude towards the game at the outset 
of his career on the links will have gained something, and he 
will have done it in two ways. He will come to understand 
that it would be rather too dangerous for him to try to learn 
the game alone and unaided by any competent teacher, as 
do many grown-up people, who ought to know better. Un- 
directed in their choice they buy a few clubs for themselves, 
and with very little notion about how to address and hit the 
ball they go out on to the links, and flounder about for 
months with very little improvement in their play, and with 
far less satisfaction to themselves than if they were making 
some kind of progress or were conscious that even now and 
again they made a shot properly. In due course they 
challenge other players to have matches with them, and 
when these engagements are confined to opponents who have 
learned their game in the same way all is well ; but nothing 
is more annoying to a careful and thorough golfer who goes 
about his golf in the right way and takes some sort of a 
pride in it, than to be matched with a man who is palpably 
ignorant of the most elementary principles of the game, 
though he would not admit it ; and he takes care that, so far 
as he has control over such matters, he will avoid such a 
match in the future. In his after-life this haphazard player, 
who taught himself and makes it his boast that he had only 
one lesson in his life, will probably come to wish that he had 



Spalding's Athletic Library. g 

had more and that he had built his game on a sound founda- 
tion. These regrets are inevitable. The golf world is over- 
populated with persons who wish they had commenced to 
play in the proper way. 

Consequently the wise man who has respect for the game 
before he plays it will take as much advice and coaching as 
he can ^^i, and he will be content to begin in the most 
elementary way, and will not mind any amount of drudgery 
in the way of practising swings and particular shots before he 
tries to make a complete round of the links. Nothing is more 
important than this complete practice of the smallest details 
at the very beginning, for it is generally the case that habits 
made at this stage, whether good or bad, will keep to the 
player for long afterwards, if not for ever. Therefore it is of 
the utmost importance that the style that he cultivates now 
should be as good and correct as possible. 

There is a variety of other preconceived fancies of which 
the beginner will do well to get rid before he goes to the 
links for the first time. A clear understanding of the prin- 
ciples involved in their rejection will help him considerably. 
For example, in most other games that one can call to mind 
it is the case that the harder the ball is struck the farther 
will it travel. This is not nearly such a general principle in 
golf. If the stroke is absolutely accurate in every respect, 
and it is a plain, simple drive that is being attempted, then, 
no doubt, the more power that is put into the drive, if it is 
put in at the right time and in the right way, the farther will 
the ball travel. But except in the case of players of many 
years' experience and of great proficiency it seldom happens 
that the driving strokes, which are very complicated, are 



TO Spa/di flip's ^ilhlctic Library. 

made so accurately, and when Ihcy arc not it is the most dan- 
gerous thing to hit hard with all one's strength at a ball, or 
to "press" as it is called. Nobody who has not had to deal 
with one can imagine what a wayward thing is a golf ball. 
It has capacities that nobody would suspect or even believe 
until after experience of them, and it has especially an enor- 
mous one for going in a different direction from that in 
which the stroke was aimed and in which it was desired to 
despatch the ball. Sometimes it is to the right and some- 
times to the left, and in either of these cases it will happen 
that the harder the ball is hit the shorter will be the distance 
that it will travel in the desired line. Therefore let the 
beginner realise that this is not a game for the display of his 
strength, and even after he has acquired great proficiency — 
as we hope he will — he will find that the gentler stroke per- 
fectly made and timed will pay quite as well for all practical 
purposes as the one that was made with all the force at the 
disposal of the player — in fact, in the course of a long and 
hard match it will probably pay much better. Often enough 
it will get the ball farther down the course, and it will be 
infinitely more reliable. In saying this I must not be under- 
stood to mean that the very longest driving, which is 
undoubtedly useful and necessary if one covets the high 
honours of golf, is not to be obtained without the application 
of considerable physical strength ; but not one young player 
in a hundred can apply that strength with safety to his game, 
and he must wait for length in his driving to come of its 
own accord, as it will do if it ever comes, meanwhile being 
content with the comparatively gentle game which is so sure. 



Spalding's Athletic Library. ii 

VARIETY OF THE GAME. 

Another thing that the beginner must be brought to under- 
stand on his first day on the hnks, is that with the exception 
of tee shots, and not always then, there are no two shots in 
the game that are exactly similar in all respects, and that a 
man may play a whole round and find it necessary to make 
a pronounced difference in every stroke played in it if he 
is capable of such a thing. No game affords more variety 
in this respect, though to the eye of the uninitiated the process 
of working the ball from the tee to the hole seems to contain 
no variety at all except in the degree of force which is applied 
to the stroke. He must then understand that the method of 
playing with the various clubs differs in each case. When he 
has mastered one club he will still be profoundly ignorant of 
how to manipulate another. Generally speaking, there is a 
certain amount of similarity with the play of all wooden clubs, 
which are chiefly intended to despatch the ball great lengths, 
and also there is some similarity between the play with different 
iron clubs which are principally, though not always, used when 
accuracy in approaching the hole is required more than any 
great length of the stroke. But there are very wide differences 
between the play with the wooden clubs and that with the iron 
ones, and any attempt to use them according to a uniform 
system, as the untutored beginner would be naturally inclined 
to do, would be certain to end in nothing but disaster. 

In the play with wooden clubs the ball is swept from its 
resting-place in the course of the long swing of the club, and 
it is, so to speak, merely an incident of the stroke that the ball 
is there to be carried along with the club-head. The face of 



12 Spaldijig's Athletic Library. 

the driver or brassey is carefully aimed at it, and of course 
the utmost care has to be taken that it is brought into proper 
and accurate contact with it ; but this is done by the regulation 
of the other parts of the swing before the club gets anywhere 
near the ball, and it is of the utmost importance that after 
striking the ball, the club should be allowed to go through to 
the finish of the stroke, in a sense as if nothing had happened. 
In the general understanding of the term the ball is not hit ; 
it is simply swept away. 

But in the case of the play with the iron clubs the stroke 
is distinctly a hit, and, excepting so far as it shows whether 
the stroke was properly made or not, it matters very little 
what happens after the ball has left the club. There is, then, 
this great difference between the two classes of shots, and 
there are other differences of a minor but still important 
character between the play with the various clubs in each 
class. For example, the play with the mashie, which is the 
tool generally employed when it is desired to lift the ball 
fairly high up into the air so that when it drops it will not 
run very far and so that therefore its final resting-place can 
be most accurately judged, is a whole art and science in itself. 
The beginner will have gained something when he properly 
appreciates these points. 



Spalding's Athletic Library. 13 



II. 

METHOD OF TUITION. 

It is evident that like all other players of my experience 
I attach the greatest possible importance to being properly 
taught from the beginning, and the only exception that I make 
is in the case of young boys, who, to my mind, really need 
no tuition at all, despite all the difficulties of the game, and 
the intricate character of the shots that are played in it. Boys 
are very adaptive, and if they have the opportunity of seeing 
good players on the links they very soon imitate them and 
play in the same way. I should think it is the best thing to 
let them fall into their own natural style in this way rather 
than force any particular system on them. If a young boy 
has got any golf in him he will be able to get it out unaided 
in the ordinary course. But when he has left school before 
he first begins to play the case is different, and he must then 
put himself in the hands of a tutor who will do the best that 
is possible with him. In a general way the later in life a man 
begins to play the more artificial and forced is his style, and 
therefore the more remote are his prospects of ever attaining 
the hall-mark of proficiency which is indicated in being a 
scratch player. But it does not by any means follow that 
a player must begin early in order to play a fine game, for 
championships have been won by players who never saw a 
golf bah until they were approaching middle age. In any 



14 S/a/i/if/i^'s Athletic Li/>rcuy 

case, whether tbcy begin early or late in Hfc, players derive 
an almost equal enjoyment from the game, and in most cases 
tliat is everything. 

One might add that great skill at other games does not 
necessarily indicate bright prospects of success at golf. To 
be sure the man who is athletic and adaptable ought to have 
a pull over others ; but it is surprising in what a large number 
of cases he fails to show that he has. Most people come to 
golf from cricket, and it is imagined that cricket is a first- 
class training for it. So it is up to a certain point ; but the 
cricketer has to make up his mind that when he is on the 
links he is no cricketer and knows nothing of any other game 
than that which he has in hand at the moment. If he 
appHes any of his cricket methods to golf he will find himself 
in trouble, and the cricket stroke in the drive is one of the 
worst things ever seen on the links, and one of the hardest 
faults to get out of. One often finds that a gcod billiard player 
makes a good golfer, because he has such a full appreciation 
of the different effects upon a little ball according to the precise 
manner in which it is struck. And Uie superior training of his 
eye stands him in very good stead on the putting greens. 

There are two other things for the beginner to bear in mind. 
The first is that though golf ma}^ not be a violent exercise like 
cricket or football or tennis, it is nevertheless a game which 
makes many demands on a man's physique, that is if he plays 
it to any considerable extent. Let it be borne in mind that 
a man w^ho plays two matches of eighteen holes in a day has 
necessarily walked the best part of ten miles in doing so, and 
that he has made somewhere about a couple of hundred body 
movements in the swinging of his clubs. He will not be able 



spa/ding's Athletic Lihran 15 

to do this with the greatest amount of pleasure to himself 
unless he takes ordinary precautions to keep himself lit and 
in the best condition of body and nerve. 

The last piece of advice I have to give to the beginner 
before sending him out with his clubs is to make it a principle 
with himself in his early days to play a little and to think a 
lot. Golf is a game requiring an enormous amount of thought, 
and unless the player can always ascertain exactly what is the 
reason for his faults and what is the reason for his method of 
remedying them he will never make much progress. The more 
he thinks out the game for himself the better he will get on 
at it, and it is when he is doing so that this little volume will 
be most useful as containing the main principles of correct 
play set down with as much simpHcity and lucidity as I am 
capable of. I think that every player who is not a boy should 
take his lessons from a teacher ; but a sound book on golf 
will be of great use to him for study when he is off the links 
and is reflecting on the things that happened the last time 
he was there. Short and simple as it is, the man who can 
bring himself to do everything just as I tell him in this 
book will have arrived at that stage when he will require very 
little instruction from any one. I am not going nito the fine 
points of the game, such as intentional slicing, pulling, and so 
forth, because it may be years before the beginner is ready 
for such advanced instruction, and at the outset he will find 
his time quite sufficiently occupied in preventing that pulling 
and slicing which are not intentional and which threaten to 
spoil his game. 




JAMES BRAID S CLUBS. 



(Names of Clubs reading from left to right.) 

Driver. Brassie. Cleek. Iron. Mashic. Niblick. Putter. 

See Chapter III. 



Spalding^ s Athletic Library. ip 



III. 
CHOOSING THE CLUBS. 

My first word of advice is to buy no clubs at all, except under 
the most competent advice, until you know something about 
the game, and to buy as few as possible until you feel that 
you know a great deal about it, and really understand what 
it is that you are buying. The professional or other instructor 
who gives you your first lessons in the game will be the best 
man to fit you out ; but at some of the best golf stores there 
are very competent golfers in charge, who have a sufficient 
sense of the responsibility of their business not to thrust upon 
the beginner tools that will be of very little use to him even 
if they will not prove harmful. But the intending player must 
be very careful as to whom he deals with in this way. It is 
a great mistake to join a golf club and buy a set of clubs, as 
so many people do, before the first visit to the course is made, 
with the mistaken idea that they will be all ready and fitted out 
on their arrival at the links. 

The professional will very soon size up his man, and supply 
him with what is most adapted to his requirements. There 
are, however, some general principles governing the selection 
of clubs for different players which I may set down here. 
First I would say that for any class of player I do not favour 
featherweight clubs. A golf-club, after all, is not a very heavy 
thing, and even the very lightest players, and those who have 



1 8 Spalding's Athletic Library. 

the least physical strength must be quite capable of swinging 
a tolerably heavy club with a good deal of effect. Mind, I 
am not advocating really heavy clubs for all sorts and conditions 
of players ; but I am merely urging that because a man is 
physically slender it does not follow that he must have lighter 
clubs than other men. As a general rule they are not so 
steady and reliable in the hands of a player as heavier clubs 
are. To some extent opinion in the golf world changes from 
time to time as to which is the better, short clubs or long ones. 
Sometimes there is a craze for clubs with very long shafts, and 
this fancy reached a very exaggerated stage a little while ago, 
when some players went in for what were called fishing-rod 
drivers. In my opinion they gain very little, if anything, in 
length, and it is inevitable, no matter how clever they are, 
that they must lose something in accuracy. However, in these 
matters much depends on fancy, and I will only say that for 
my own part I rather advocate a club on the short side, because 
I think it is very much safer in the hands of all classes of players, 
and ensures far more accuracy than can be gained with the long- 
shafted tools. 

Most particular attention should be paid to what is called 
the lie of the clubs that are chosen. By this is meant the angle 
which the bottom of the blade, or the sole of the club, makes 
with th2 shaft. It will be evident that according to the angle 
at which the shaft of the club is held by the player when he is 
preparing to make his stroke, so will the sole of the club lie 
evenly on the ground, or with either its toe or its heel raised up 
above it as the case may be. Now in all cases except one — 
which I shall point out in due course — it is essential for the 
proper making of the stroke that the club should be laid thus 



Spalding^s Athletic Library. 19 

evenly on the ground ; if it is not the ball will not be taken 
properly, and something is sure to go wrong with the stroke. 
The question is as to whether the player must move himself 
nearer or farther from the ball so as to get his club to the right 
angle, or whether he must have different clubs to suit the distance 
at which he feels most comfortable. The latter is the only proper 
course. Every player will find that he feels more comfortable 
and in a better working position when he stands at a particular 
distance from the ball, having regard to the kind of club 
which he has in his hands at the time, and he should have clubs 
chosen for him so that when he stands at this distance their 
soles lie evenly on the turf. Generally a tall man, who will 
not want to lean out very far in making his stroke, will fmd 
that in the natural order of things he will hold his club very 
upright, and consequently he will want clubs with what we 
call upright lies, that is clubs which have the angles formed 
between the soles and the shafts rather sharper — a little nearer 
to right angles — than in the case of others. Short men, on the 
other hand, will want clubs with flat lies, as they are called, 
that is to say clubs in which the angle just referred to is very 
much wider. The selection of clubs with proper lies is of 
great importance, and it is above all necessary that the different 
clubs in a set should have lies to match, and should not be all 
different from each other. When the latter is the case, as so 
often happens with inexperienced players, either the player has 
constantly to accommodate himself to his various clubs and 
change his position according to each of them, when it should 
not be necessary to do so (a course of procedure which will 
spoil all the confidence and accuracy of his play), or else for 
many of his shots he will be playing his clubs in a way that does 



20 Spalding'' s Athletic Library. 

not suit them and from which good results are next to im- 
possible. Players very often blame clubs for their own inferior 
play when they are not justified in doing so; but it does 
frequently happen that players have clubs with lies which do 
not suit them, and this is often the unsuspected cause of constant 
failure with implements which look to be the very perfection of 
their class. 

Questions as to the length of the face, and the depth of it, 
and the amount of loft on the various clubs, can only be satis- 
factorily settled after a little experience, as what will suit one 
player in this way will not suit another. I may say, however, 
that I am not very much of a believer in the very short faces 
on wooden clubs which have been so fashionable during the 
last few years. I don't see that there is any gain in them, 
and if there is no gain it is more than likely that there is 
some loss. 

Much depends on the build of a man as to what kind of 
clubs he should be fitted out with. An entirely different kind 
of club should be placed in the hands of the free-limbed, 
athletic man from that which is given to the stiffly built man 
to play with. The latter plays more from his shoulders, and 
is unable to twist his body round so easily for the purpose of 
swinging the club. It follows, therefore, that he usually makes a 
much shorter swing — a kind of half swing — and when that is the 
case it is advisable to give him a rather heavier club than usual, 
in order that he may get a full amount of force into his 
stroke. On the other hand, the loosely built man, who will 
naturally go in for a very free and full swing, may have rather 
lighter clubs. 

Whatever the beginner is provided with at the outset, he is 



Spalding^ s Athletic Library. 21 

almost sure to change as he gets on at the game and finds out 
more exactly what his own tastes and preferences are, and with 
what particular sorts of clubs he can get the best results. 
Therefore, in view of these likely changes it will be best for 
him to limit his choice of clubs at the very outset to the fewest 
possible. He will need a driver, a brassey (which he can do 
without for the first week or two), an iron, a mashie, a niblick, 
and a putter. For the first lesson or two he will not really 
need more than the driver and possibly an iron, and the longer 
he defers the purchase of the various articles in his kit the more 
is he likely to be satisfied with them when he does purchase 
them. The young player, however, must be warned against 
bringing himself to the conclusion, in his early days of golf, 
that when he plays badly it is the fault of his clubs, and against 
forthwith going to the shop to buy more, with which he is 
certain he will do better. It is extremely unlikely that the 
disasters that occur to every beginner are in the least degree 
the fault of the clubs, and the player will only get himself into a 
quandary if he allows himself to think so. After he has got 
going at the game he may need one or two more new clubs, 
principally a cleek. 





Position of Hands and Fingers for the Overlapping Grip. 
See Chapter IV. 



Spalding's Athletic Library. 23 

iv. 

HOW TO GRIP THE CLUB. 

The first thing the beginner will have to learn is how to grip 
his club properly preparatory to making a stroke, and this 
is not quite the simple matter that it may appear at the first 
glance. There are many golfers of considerable experience 
who do not grip their clubs in the right manner, and they 
are suffering accordingly. During the last few years a new 
kind of grip has been making itself exceedingly popular, and 
it is now used by most of the players who have attained 
championship honours. It is what they call the overlapping 
grip. In taking hold of the club the two hands are brought 
so close together that the right one, which is the lower of 
the two, actually partly overlaps the left one, that is to say 
some of the fingers of the former ride on the top of the fingers 
of the other. For those who can use it properly this grip 
has many advantages, the chief of which is that there is never 
any doubt as to the proper amount of work to be done by 
each hand, since, to a very large extent, the two hands work 
together as one. When he gets on in the game the player will 
find that one of his chief difficulties from time to time is 
properly to apportion the amount tef work and responsibility to 
each hand, and when the business is not properly shared the 
Stroke goes wrong. Sometimes it is necessary that the right 
hand should be the controlling factor, and sometimes the left, 
that is when the two hands arc held apart as in the ordinary 




Another view of the Hands and P^ingers in the Overlapping Grip. 
See Chapter IV. » 



Spalding^ s Athletic Library, 25 

grip. Most of the difficulties arising from this state of affairs 
are obviated in the case of the overlapping grip, and when 
one has become accustomed to its use it is very easy and 
comfortable and never give^ any trouble. Taylor, Harry Vardon, 
and I all use this kind of grip. 

Those who have started golf with the other one, and now, 
perhaps later on in their careers, are desirous of making a change 
to the overlapping grip because they have heard so much about 
it and because the idea of it appeals to them, should bear 
one thing in mind, and that is that it will not suit every one — 
a warning which it seems to me has not been given often 
enough. Excellent as are the advantages of this way of holding 
the club, there are some players in whose case it would be 
mere folly and waste of time trying to cultivate it, and in fact 
one sometimes sees players persevering with it in the most 
diligent manner and all the time playing a much worse game 
than usual in consequence, because of a vain hope that they 
will sometime reap great benefits from it. What it is absolutely 
essential the player should have for this grip are very strong 
fingers, which are at the same time probably a little above 
the average in length. With fingers of medium strength good 
results cannot be achieved with the overlapping grip, and it 
will at the same time be far more comfortable and satisfactory 
to keep to the old-fashioned system to which many of the best 
players still adhere and to vvhich there are no objections when 
it is r^ot abused in any way. 

But if there is no reason on this score why the player should 
not adopt the overlapping grip, and he desires to do so, it may 
be recommended with all possible confidence, and by way of 
introducing it to the reader he may be referred to the 




Position of Hands and Fingers for the Ordinary two " V " Grip. 
See Chapter IV. 



Spalding'' s Athletic Library. 27 

photographs of it, which will give him a very clear idea of 
what it is and how it is made. 

It will be noticed that my left hand grips the club well over 
the top of the shaft, and it grips it firmly with all the fingers. 
My thumb rests against the side of the shaft, and I might remark 
here that in the case of the right hand also the thumb is more 
against the side of the shaft than on the top of it, this con- 
stituting a slight difference from the grips taken by other well- 
known players. It is largely a matter of fancy, and some people 
maintain that by keeping their thumbs almost, if not completely, 
on the top of the shafts they keep a better control during the 
swing ; but I have found the opposite to be the case. Having 
got my left hand in position to begin with, I apply the right 
hand to the club so that the latter lies in the joint of the first 
finger. The two first fingers grip well hold of this club, the 
third finger does very little, and the little one rests on the top of 
the first finger of the left hand, thus effecting the coupling of the 
two hands. When the grip is complete the left thumb is pressed 
against the side of the shaft by the ball of the right hand. 

The whole grip must be very firm and such as to ensure a 
complete command over the club in every respect ; but the 
player must be cautioned against making it too tight, so that the 
muscles of the wrist and forearm are stiffened up as they are 
when unusual pressure is employed by the hands in gripping. 
It is these muscles which have to do much of the work in 
swinging the club, and it would be fatal to make them so taut as 
to be more or less unworkable. 

The other kind of grip, which is the one most generally in use, 
is very easily explained. The club is gripped in the simplest 
possible manner, the left hand above the right, and when this is 



28 Spalding's Athletic Library. 

done and both hands are brought quite close together so that 
there is not a fraction of space between them, there is only one 
particular in which the novice can possibly go wrong. His first 
instinct would, no doubt, be to take hold of the club in the same 
way that he would seize anything else that he wanted to wield, 
and this way would generally consist of each hand being applied 
sideways to the handle, as it were, so that both sets of finger- 
nails would come up on the top. This would be quite wrong, 
and a proper swing would be quite impossible with such a grip. 
The right hand should be brought much more round on to the 
top of the shaft, and the left hand should be turned in to meet it 
as it were, so that the arch formed by the join of the first finger 
with the thumb in each case is almost directly over the centre of 
the shaft. Because of this being the guide to the proper way of 
gripping, the old-fashioned method as thus described is often 
called the two-V grip. See page 22. 

In this case again different players have different fancies as to 
where the thumbs should be, and in different cases you find one 
or other, or both of them, on the top of the shaft ; but as before 
I am of opinion that the best place for them is the side. 

Make the grip as nearly as possible in the middle of the 
leather on the handle of the club, with about the same amount 
of it projecting at each end. One does not get the proper 
balance of the club and cannot employ it with the same effect 
if the grip is made right at the bottom, as players sometimes 
make it when they are off their game and go groping about in all 
directions for a remedy for the faults that they commit. In such 
cases it sometimes happens that temporarily a very low grip 
effects a great improvement ; but it is altogether wrong and will 
sooner or later bring trouble on the player. I would earnestly 



Spalding'' s Athletic Library. 29 

advise him therefore to avoid such expedients. In the same way 
you should not grasp the leather right at the top end, as then 
you feel a complete loss of control over the club. 

It should be remembered that the surface of the leather 
should be kept in such a state as to afford a perfectly secure 
grip to the hands. For this reason it should not be soft and 
smooth, but should have a little bite. If it should be made 
of ordinary leather it will need to be rubbed occasionally 
with pitch or wax ; but latterly a kind of American cloth 
has been largely used for these handle coverings, and very 
delightful it is for such use, giving a cool and very firm grip. 
Its only disadvantage is that it does not wear very well. 
Rubber grips are popular with some players, though not so 
much so as they used to be. They often split and give way 
at the ends, and then shrink up all at once so that the club 
is practically useless for the rest of the round, which may 
sometimes be a very serious matter. Also they are very 
dangerous in wet weather, for then they become very slip- 
pery, and it is next to impossible to keep the hands tight 
on them. There are tales of championships having been 
lost through this cause. 

I might add that the same system of gripping the club 
should be carried out uniformly in the case of all the different 
clubs which the player employs, and the only variation is 
in the degree of tightness with which the right hand is held. 
These variations I will explain in their proper place. Some 
players, however, who cannot master the overlapping grip 
for their other strokes where force is required more or less, 
use it in putting, and there is no objection to their doing so 
if they think it helps them, as it may very conceivably do. 









7 






A 






6 




(b 






5 




^ 






^' 




2 V 


'J^ 







STANCES FOR STROKES. 



Showing comparatively the different positions of each foot for play 
with different clubs. The figures on the left of the vertical line 
each represent positions of the left foot, and those on the right 
side the corresponding positions of the right foot. The strokes 
indicated are as follows : — 

1, I Ordinary drive. 

2, 2 Playing for a pull with driver. 

3, 3 Playing for a shie with driver. 

4, 4 Full cleek shot. 

5, 5 Full iron shot. 

6, 6 Full mashie shot. 

7, 7 Putting. 



Spalding's Athletic Library. 31 



V. 

STANCE AND ADDRESS IN DRIVING. 

The way in which a golfer stands to his ball, and the dis- 
tance which his feet are from each other and from the ball 
are called the stance, and the stance varies with each different 
kind of shot that it is desired to make. When a player has 
taken up his stance and is preparing to hit the ball he is; 
said to be addressing it. The first shot that is played in the 
round is the drive, and it is needed from the teeing ground 
at most of the holes on the way round. In many respects 
it is the most fascinating shot in the whole of golf, and 
there is none which gives the golfer so much pleasure 
as a fine drive, in which the ball is sent along in a dead 
straight line, or with just such a suspicion of pull on it as 
to help its length. The golfer always knows when the ball 
has gone quite sweetly off his club, and when every ounce 
and grain that he put into the stroke were taken by the ball. 
It has become the fashion in some quarters to try to make 
out that long driving is not of so much importance as it has 
been made out to be, and that players need not make any 
great efforts to attain it. To that statement one has to reply 
that while long driving is certainly not everything, and that 
a player should never sacrifice such accuracy and steadiness 
as he is capable of in order to accomplish it, still it makes 
every remaining stroke in the playing of the hole easier and 



Spalding''s Athletic Library. -^"^ 

more certain, and consequently it must necessarily happen 
that now and again a whole stroke is saved. I therefore say 
that while short drivers have done great things, and that 
while there is no reason why they should not do them again, 
especially now that they are so much helped by the rubber- 
cored balls, still I think a man can rarely become a really 
great player unless he is at all events a fairly long driver. 
As I suggested in the opening pages of this little work, it is 
more Hkely to come through great accuracy and the most 
perfect timing combined with a reasonable exertion of strength 
than as the result of muscular effort pUre and simple. 

When the player makes his drive from the tee he is allowed 
to have most things in his favour, and consequently it is per- 
mitted to him to place his ball on a tiny eminence, usually 
made of sand, which is called teeing it. His club-head, there- 
fore, has a clean sweep at the ball with no obstructions sur- 
rounding it. He can make his tee anywhere on the teeing 
ground within the recognised limits, and he should take advan- 
tage of this latitude in selecting a place whefe his feet will 
have a secure hold from heel to toe, where the feet will be 
level with each other, and where the ball will be as nearly 
as possible on a level patch of ground. A slight inclination 
one way or the other so as to cause a hanging lie, as it is 
called, will materially affect the stroke. It is not always a 
good thing to tee in just the same place as others have done 
before you, as indicated by the sand they have left behind. 
The tee in that place is often rough and slippery after such 
constant use. Care should also be taken to tee the ball in 
a place where everything about it is smooth and even. A 
cigarette stump, a piece of paper, or a match stalk might be 



34 Spalding's Athletic Library. 

quite sufficient to distract the eye when the downward swing 
was being made, with tlie result that the stroke would be 
ahnost certainly spoiled. F^or the same reason it is not a good 
thing to tee up very near to the teeing-box. Tee in such a 
place that the very narrow field of vision which is afforded 
to the eye when it is fixed on the ball includes nothing except 
the tee and the bare turf. The tee should be as low as is 
consistent with the club taking the ball without any impedi- 
ment. Many players make the mistake of teeing too high. 

Then comes the great question as to how exactly the player 
shall stand when he is getting ready for his stroke and while 
he is making it. This is a matter of vast importance, inas- 
much as the success or failure of the stroke depends largely 
on it, and it is surprising what an effect a variation of an 
inch or two in the position of one or other of the feet will 
have upon the way in which the ball is hit and the subse- 
quent flight of it. The player should take the greatest pains 
to find out exactly what stance suits him best for the different 
strokes, and skould be sure that this stance is theoretically 
justifiable. No very hard-and-fast rule can be laid down, 
and there is some margin for individual peculiarities, for 
almost all the leading players vary to some slight extent in 
this respect. Still there are certain general principles to be 
obeyed, and if the golfer attempts to defy them because he 
thinks he can do better in his own way, he is sure to be 
sorry for it before he has had any very lengthy experience 
on the links. When he has found the right stance for each 
stroke he should stick to it, even when he is temporarily off 
his game and is inclined to try all sorts of dodges in order 
to get back to it, and he should not give up his stance for 



Spalding^s Athletic Library. ^e 

another one until after the gravest consideration, and having 
quite satisfied himself that what he is doing is for the best. 

Now it is impossible to give any definite instruction as to 
how far in feet and inches the player should stand from the 
ball, as it is obvious that this must largely depend on his 
height and the length of his reach. As I am six feet two in 
height it would be little use for me to tell a player who was 
only five feet seven how far my feet are from the ball when 
I am addressing it, because it would be wrong for him to 
stand so far away, and even in the case of players of the 
same stature and length of reach there are slight variations 
which are permissible. As a general rule, however, the player 
should stand just so far from the ball that when the face of 
the club is laid against it the end of the shaft just reaches to 
his left knee when the latter has just the suspicion of a bend 
in it. Standing at this distance he will be able to make his 
stroke freely and comfortably and with accuracy, not having 
to overreach himself on the one hand or cramp himself on 
the other. 

Then as to the relative positions of the feet, there are two 
distinct systems. The stance, according to one of them, is 
called the open stance. When this is adopted the right foot 
is placed considerably nearer to the ball than the left— perhaps 
eight or nine inches nearer, or even more than that. By this 
system it will be seen that as the club is being brought on 
to the ball, and afterwards when it is following through, the 
passage, so to speak, is quite clear, and the left foot is well 
out of the way. With this stance, which is very popular with 
some of the best players, very fine and powerful play is possible. 
The other stance is rather more old-fashioned, but is still played 



36 Spalding^s Athletic Library. 

with and thoroughly believed in by many of the best amateur 
and professional players, particularly those belonging to the 
old Scottish schools. In this case the right toe is either just 
on a level with the left one or even some inches behind it. 
To the uninitiated this difference may seem a very small 
matter ; but it means everything to the style of the player. 
In the case of the open stance the weight for the greater part 
of the stroke is on the right foot, and therefore we say that the 
man is playing off the right foot. With the square stance it is 
rather more on the left. The general opinion seems to be that 
the open stance is the easier of the two to work with ; but I 
am not in agreement. My own stance is a partially square one, 
for my toes are almost dead level with each other, as may be 
seen by reference to the accompanying photographs. After 
much consideration, and as a result of my experience with 
hundreds of pupils, I have come to the conclusion that it is 
easier for the beginner to learn to play off the left foot, that 
is to say with the toes either level with each other or the right 
one slightly behind the other. He will get quite as good results 
with this stance as he would with the other ; it is really quite 
as easy to follow-through with the club when the stroke is 
being made, and the player is not so liable to fall into the 
error of getting his hands and body in front of the club. 
Moreover, one of the commonest and most trying faults of the 
beginner is slicing with his wooden clubs. A stroke is sliced 
when the club-head is — imperceptibly to the eye or even to the 
feel — drawn across the ball at the moment of contact. It may 
be only a sixteenth of an inch, but the result is to impart a 
curious motion to the ball, as the result of which, after starting 
off in a straight line, it suddenly wheels round to the right, and 



Spalding^s Athletic Library, 37 

sometimes towards the end bf its flight it is actually travelling 
at right angles to its original and proper direction. The con- 
sequence, of course, is that much of the desired length is lost, 
and in addition the ball, by wheeUng round in this way, is almost 
certain to land itself into a bunker, or the rough grass or other 
trouble on the side of the fairway, so that a whole stroke, or the 
best part of one, is lost. When the golfer plays off the left 
foot with the square stance, although he is not immune from 
sHcing he is very much less liable to it than with the open 
stance. 

Concerning the position of the ball with respect to the feet, 
there is not much room for variation or difference of opinion. 
In some abnormal cases one finds a player teeing up the ball 
almost opposite his left toe, while a few others bring it back 
to a point almost midway between the feet, or even a shade 
more to the right. But undoubtedly a mistake is made in each 
instance. The commoner practice, and that which I have 
always adopted myself, and which I recommend to all others, 
is to place the ball, or place the feet, so that the former is in 
a line about six inches to the right of the left heel. This 
allows of the full force of the swing being brought on to it, 
of the club taking it at the time which is likely to be most 
effective, and of the follow-through being executed in the 
easiest and most complete manner. Both the toes should be 
turned slightly outwards. When in position and ready for 
play, both the legs and the arms of the player should be just 
a trifle relaxed — just so much as to get rid of any feeling of 
stiffness, and to allow of the most complete freedom of move- 
ment. The slackening may be a little more pronounced in 
the case of the arms than with the legs, as much more freedom 



38 Spalding^s Athletic Library. 

is required of them subsequently. " They should fall easily and 
comfortably to the sides, and the general feeling of the player 
at this stage should be one of flexibility and power. If he 
does not possess it the chances are that there is something 
wrong somewhere. He should take care that the weight of 
his body is now well down on his heels and not on the balls 
of his feet. An almost imperceptible movement will make all 
the difference in this respect, and it is quite impossible to drive 
well or accurately unless the weight is on the heels. There 
may be a little more weight on the right heel than on the 
left in the case of the address. In passing it may be remarked 
that the player should never neglect the precaution of having 
plenty of good hobnails in the soles of his boots or shoes to 
prevent him from slipping. Despite the fact that his attitude 
is constituted for comfort and power, the player should guard 
against any tendency to stoop or to let his head fall down. Both 
these faults are very serious in some cases, and are very difficult 
to get rid of. The head should be kept well up throughout 
the stroke, and the body should be held up as well as circum- 
stances will permit. The right shoulder may be dipped a little 
at this point, but care has to be taken that it is not let down 
any more while the stroke is in progress. When all these 
arrangements have been made, and the club-head is laid to the 
ball, the sole of the club, as I have already indicated, must 
lie flat upon the turf. 

Everything is now in readiness for making the stroke, and 
the player prepares to hit the ball. He takes his last look or 
two in the direction of the hole to satisfy himself thoroughly 
about what exactly it is that he wants to do, and what it is 
necessary to do, and to make a final mental note of the par- 



Spalding's Athletic Library. 39 

ticular dangers that are in front of this tee shot, and how they 
may be avoided. While he is doing this he will feel tlie desire 
to indulge in a preliminary waggle of tiie club, just to sec that 
his arms are in working order, waving the club-head backwards 
and forwards once or twice over the ball. Different players 
have all kinds of waggles, some slow and deliberate, others 
quick and energetic, and others again make all kinds of fancy 
movements. But each adheres to his own system which grows 
up with him, and without a practice of which he would never 
feel quite safe in attempting a stroke. Obviously there is no 
rule in such matters, and the player can only be enjoined to 
make himself comfortable in the best way he can. But it is 
better that, during the last waggle at any rate, the eyes should 
have ceased to regard that point in the distance to which it 
is intended to despatch the ball, and should have settled down 
to looking steadily at the ball itself. 

This brings me naturally to a repetition of the most justly 
celebrated maxim in golf — " Keep your eye on the hall." There 
is no other rule which is half so valuable and necessary, because 
it is quite certain that if you do not keep your eye on it from 
the moment that you commence your swing until it has been 
sent from the tee no good whatever can come of the stroke, 
and the chances are greatly in favour of its being foozled and 
generally ruined. Even players of long experience and con- 
siderable skill, sometimes, as the result of over-confidence, get 
into the way now and again of temporarily allowing their eyes 
to wander, though they are unconscious that they are doing so, 
and the result is that their strokes go wrong and they cannot 
think why. It seems such an easy thing to keep one's eye on 
the ball, and yet it is not quite so easy as it looks. The time 



40 Spalding^s Athletic Library. 

when it is most frequently taken off is just when the club is 
coming down on to it, and it is just the time when the mistake 
is likely to prove the most expensive. The fact seems to be 
that the mind, and the optic nerves through it, work rather 
more quickly than the arms and body, and they anticipate 
the flight of the ball and consequently look up in the direction 
in which it is to travel, eager to see what has become of the 
stroke. Consequently the impulse is a natural one to some 
extent, and as such will have to be very carefully guarded 
against. Some players who find themselves in constant trouble 
in this matter have forced on themselves a rule that they shall 
always take care to see the place where the ball was after it 
has been struck by the club before they look up to see what 
has happened, and this is not by any means a bad rule in such 
circumstances, although it involves keeping the eyes tixed on the 
spot really rather longer than is necessary. If an instantaneous 
photograph is taken of a good player just at the moment when 
the ball has started on its journey, and the club is following 
through, it will be noticed that his gaze is still directed to 
the spot where the ball was teed, although he would not be 
conscious of the fact. Like a good many other things, this 
business which may be rather troublesome at first becomes 
habit after a while. There is only one other injunction to make, 
and that is that the gaze should be fastened on to the side of 
the ball and not on the top of it, that is to say you must look at 
the point that you mean to hit. And now you begin the swing. 



Spalding^ s Athletic Library, 41 

VI. 

THE UPWARD SWING IN DRIVING. 

If I were asked to say what is the most important movement 
in the whole of golf, I should say the upward swing when it 
is intended to make a full shot with either the driver or the 
brassey. This upward swing comprises a great deal of the style 
of a player, and it generally surprises the beginner to be told 
that everything as to the way in which the ball is hit and 
despatched on its journey depends on this backward movement 
with the club. Even many old players do not seem to have 
sufficiently grasped the truth of the statement, or if they have 
they constantly neglect the moral. Although the up-swing has 
nothing to do with the hitting of the ball, and it is only in the 
down-swing that the latter is struck, the up-swing is much the 
more important movement of the two inasmuch as whatever it 
is the down-swing is almost sure to be. This is to say that if 
the up-swing is made in a mechanically and theoretically 
proper manner, it is unlikely that anything will go wrong at 
all events until the ball has been hit. On the other hand, if 
the up-swing is badly made it is practically impossible for the 
down-swing to be right, and therefore the stroke will be badly 
played and in one way or another the ball will refuse to travel 
properly. The first business of the young golfer, therefore, 
must be to take immeasurable pains to make his up-swing 
perfect, and it is an exercise that he should never be tired of 
practising. 






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Spalding^s Athletic Library. 43 

Three important rules about the up-svving ma}^ be set down 
to begin with, and to break any of them will be fatal. In the 
first place, it must be conducted very slowly — moderately 
" slow back " is another of the golden rules of golf. Secondly, 
the head of the player must be kept as motionless as possible ; 
in fact, to all intents and purposes it must be quite rigid and 
motionless. Thirdly, the body also must be kept quite still ; 
that is, so far as sideways movements or swaying backwards 
or forwards is concerned. Unless the strictest attention is 
given to each of these points the whole movement will go 
out of gear, and anything like uniformity and accuracy will 
be impossible. The object is to bring the club backwards to 
a certain point — generally until it is behind the shoulders and 
about horizontal — in the smoothest and easiest manner possible. 

With beginners there may be a natural impulse, particularly 
when they feel fairly confident about what they are going to 
do and how they are going to do it, to swing back very suddenly 
and quickly in the partly unconscious behef that the quicker 
the thing is done the harder they will be able to hit the ball. 
As a matter of fact they will find that speed in the backward 
swing rather takes it off the forward one on to the ball instead 
of increasing it, and, besides that, tends to make the player lose 
all control of his movements and of the command of his club. 
If either the head or the body are guilty of any perceptible 
movement, there can be no rhythm or accuracy of the stroke. 
Of course the body has to turn while the up-swing is being 
made, but it should do this from the hips alone, so that the 
whole of the human machinery seems to work upon an axis 
at this point. 

Bearing these things in mind, you begin the swing. The 



LEFT FOOT 



The black patch represents the part of the sole on which the player 
should balance or pivot during the upward swing instead ot on 
the toe as is commonly done. 



Spalding's Athletic Library. 45 

first movement must come from the wrists, and it is the left 
one which makes the initiative. They, and they alone, start 
the head of the club moving back from the ball, the left one 
giving the first gentle pressure to the club, while, as soon as 
the latter begins to move, the left elbow begins to bend slightly 
so as to accommodate itself to the movement. One of the 
commonest mistakes seen on the links is the breaking of this 
rule by players who at the commencement of their swings, 
instead of letting their wrists begin the work in the manner 
indicated, swing away both arms to the right from the shoulder. 
This completely disturbs the whole arrangement, for the wrists, 
which will still have their work to do, will begin it at a wrong 
and inconvenient position, and a great deal of power and sure- 
ness will have been wasted. This fault is sometimes committed 
in the belief that a very wide outward and backward sweep of 
the club is necessary to the making of a good long drive, but 
such is not the case. I don't believe at all in those long sweeps. 
When the swing is well started, that is to say, when the club 
has been taken a matter of about a couple of feet from the ball 
it will become impossible, or at least inconvenient and uncom- 
fortable, to keep the feet so firmly planted on the ground as 
they were when the address was made. It is the left one that 
wants to move, and consequently at this stage you must allow 
it to pivot. By this is meant that the heel is raised slightly, and 
the foot turns over until only the ball of it rests on the ground. 
Many players pivot on the toe, but I think this is not so safe, 
and does not preserve the balance so well. When this pivoting 
begins the weight is being taken off the left leg and transferred 
almost entirely to the right, and at the same moment the left 
knee turns in towards the right toe. The right leg then stiffens 



46 Spalding^s Athletic Library, 

a little, and the right heel is more firmly than ever planted on 
the ground. 

The continuation of the up-swing is a simple matter so long 
as it is not too rapidly executed. Keep tlie right elbow fairly 
well into the side of the body. In far too many cases players 
let it go away from them as soon as the swing gets under 
way, partly, perhaps, with the idea of getting that wide sweep 
to which reference has just been made. The only real result, 
however, is to destroy accuracy and power and the whole 
beauty of the movement — because the swing for the drive is 
really a beautiful movement — is spoiled. The club has to be 
brought round to the back of the body and not over the head. 
As the club begins to get round there the left wrist must be 
allowed to turn inwards and underneath the shaft. This is 
very important, because when the wrist is kept alongside or 
over the shaft the position is very cramped, the head of the 
club is not in the proper position for commencing the down- 
ward swing, and all manner of evils arise as the result. If a 
player tries the swing both ways he will feel at once the great 
difference in the comfort and feeling of control that he has 
over the club when he works that left wrist in the proper 
manner. 



Spalding^s Athletic Library. ^y 



VII. 

THE TOP OF THE SWING. 

When the club has been brought back in the way I have 
directed, and when the wrists have been allowed to do their 
work in the proper manner, it will be found that at the farthest 
point of the backward swing, or the top of the swing as we 
call it, the toe of the club is facing the ground. If it does not 
do so it is an absolutely certain sign that there is something 
seriously wrong — generally with the wrist work — and it is quite 
necessary that the player should find out what is the matter, 
and set it right. 

The question arises as to how far this backward swing should 
be prolonged. No very strict rule can be laid down in the 
matter, as it largely depends on the peculiarities of the style 
of play and also of the physical powers of the player. A 
strong man, flexibly built, and with powerful wrists, may take 
a longer swing, and take it with advantage, than a weaker man 
with slender wrists, and the stiffly built man will inconvenience 
himself very considerably if he attempts a long swing. It does 
not by any means follow that the longer the swing — that is, 
when it is carried to excess — the longer will be the drive, and 
there is certainly some gain in exactness when shorter swings 
are employed. It must be remembered that the player nearly 
always swings much more than he thinks he does. In no case 
do I think it advisable to prolong the swing beyond that point 




Top of Swing for Full Drive or Brassey Shot. 
See Chapter VII. 



Spalding''s Athletic Library. 49 

when the club becomes horizontal, and it should not be taken 
so far if the player feels that he is losing control over it. That 
is the best rule in the matter — that the club must not be taken 
an inch farther back than that point at which the player has 
the fullest and a most absolute control over it. If this is lost 
for an instant at the top of the swing the gravest consequence 
may be feared, and most of the care which was lavished on the 
preliminary movements will have been wasted. Besides, in the 
case of very long swings there is always a strong tendency to 
cut the ball. 

Bearing in mind what has already been said about not letting 
the right elbow get too far away from the body during the 
upward swing, it will be found, or should be, that at the top of 
the swing it is not more than six inches away — that is to say, not 
an inch further away than is consistent with making the swing in 
a free-and-easy manner. 

While it is of great importance for the sake of both accuracy 
and power that the swing back should be made slowly, as already 
directed, the player must guard against any tendency to make a 
pause at the top point. The beginner, in his deliberate and very 
conscious efforts, which are never more conscious than at this 
turning-point of the swing, when he feels an enormous sense of 
responsibility, regularly comes to a full stop here, and the result 
is practically to destroy all the value of the upward movement. 
It is just the same as if the club had been poised in the air and 
the whole thing begun from the top point. There should be 
nothing in the nature of a sudden jerk back from the top of the 
swing ; but the downward movement should be begun as soon as 
the upward one has ceased, and there should be no perceptible 
pause. However, at the very commencement of bie practice, 




Top of Swing lor Full Drive or Brassey Shot. Taken from 

behind, and showing Position of Hands and Arms. 

See Chapter VII. 



Spalding^ s Athletic Libra?-)'. 51 

and until he becomes somewhat used to the swing of the club in 
something near to the proper manner, the beginner may be 
excused from some of the necessities that I have here pointed 
out, lest in any anxiety on the matter he should spoil his up- 
swing. As soon as confidence comes to him, and he feels that he 
is swinging his driver in comfort and with some accuracy and 
more or less unconsciousl}^, lie must see to it that the pause at the 
top, which may have been conspicuous in his earlier efforts, is 
aboiished. 



5 2 Spalding's Athletic Library. 



VIII. 
THE DOWNWARD SWING. 

So now we may begin the down-swing, which, though it is all- 
important in that it is the really active part of the stroke, the one 
that makes the ball go, is in many of its features one which in the 
nature of things affords less scope for effort and care than the 
upward swing, since, as already pointed out, what the latter is, so 
is the downward swing almost certain to be. One might say that 
the up-swing is really the first half of the down-swing, and the 
half that settles what the whole thing is going to be. 

The chief thing to bear in mind is that there must be in the 
case of play with the driver and the brassey no attempt to hit 
the ball, which must be simply swept from the tee and carried 
forward in the even and rapid swing of the club. The drive in 
golf differs from almost every other stroke in every game in which 
the propulsion of a ball is the object. In the ordinary sense 
of the word, implying a sudden and sharp impact, it is not a 
"hit" when it is properly done. When the ball is so "hit," and 
the club stops very soon afterwards, the result is that very little 
length comparatively will be obtained, and that, moreover, there 
will be a very small amount of control over the direction of 
the ball. 

While it is, of course, in the highest degree iiecessary that the 
ball shall be taken in exactly the right place on the club and in 
the right manner, this will have to be done by the proper regula- 



Spalding's Athletic Library. 53 

tion of all the other parts of the swing, and any effort to direct 
the club on to it in a particular manner just as the ball is being 
reached cannot be attended by success. If the ball is taken by 
the toe or heel of the club, or is topped, or if the club gets too 
much under it, the remedy for these faults is not to be found in 
a more deliberate directing of the club on to the ball just as the 
two are about to come into contact, but in the better and more 
exact regulation of the swing the whole way through up to this 
point. Something may be wrong with the stance, the body may 
have swayed, the head may have been allowed to move, or the 
movement of the wrists and arms may have been wrong and not 
according to the standard directions as I have just laid them 
down. The object of these remarks is merely to emphasise 
again in the best place that the despatching of the ball from the 
tee by the driver in the downward swing is merely an incident 
of the whole business. The player, in making the down move- 
ment, must not be so particular to see while doing it that he hits 
the ball properly as that he makes the swing properly and finishes 
it well, for — and this signifies the truth of what I have been 
saying — the success of the drive is not only made by what has 
gone before, but it is also due largely to the course taken by the 
club after the ball has been hit. 

On the whole the player will be, and must be, far less con- 
scious of all the details of his action in the down-swing than 
when he was taking the club upwards. Having brought the club 
with the utmost care and thought and attention to detail to the 
top point, there is only one more thing to do, and that is to finish 
off the swing and get the ball away as rapidly as possible. It is 
only after the ball has gone that consciousness will begin to fully 
assert itself and enable the player to give thought to the manner 



c;^ Spaldin^^s Athletic Library. 

of finishin.^. In time, and when the man is on his game, the 
whole thing, from start to finish, should be to a certain extent 
mechanical. 

The initiative in bringing down the club is taken by the left 
wrist, and the club is then brought forward rapidly and with an 
even acceleration of pace until the club-head is about a couple of 
feet from the ball. So far the movement will largely have been 
an arm movement, but at this point there should be some 
tightening up of the wrists, and the club will be gripped a little 
more tightly. This will probably come about naturally, and 
though some authorities have expressed different opinions, I am 
certainly one of those who believe that the work done b}'' the 
wrists at this point has a lot to do with the making of the drive. 
It is merely an assertion of power on their part, and if it ever 
comes to the player it will come naturall}^ and in the course of 
experience. Directions about it cannot be laid down. Just 
when the wrists begin to take their part in the stroke, when the 
face of the club is approaching the ball, the body begins to turn 
and the left knee comes in quickly from its pivoting position, so 
that at the moment of striking the player is quite firm on both 
his feet and faces directly to the ball, just as he did when he 
was addressing it before he began the upward swing. Any one 
who thinks out the theory of the swing for himself will see that 
it is obviously intended that at the moment of impact the player 
shall be just as he was when he addressed the ball, which is the 
position which will afford him most driving power and accuracy. 



Sj)alding's Athletic Library, 55 



IX. 
FINISHING THE STROKE. 

The second that the ball is hit, but not before, the player should 
begin to turn on his right toe, and to allow a little bend of the 
right knee, so as to allow the right shoulder to come round until 
the body faces the Hne of flight of the ball. When this is done 
properly the weight will be thrown on to the left foot, and the 
whole body will be thrown slightly forward. The whole of this 
movement needs very careful timing, because it is a very common 
fault with some players to let the body get in too soon, and in 
such cases the stroke is always ruined. Examine the photo- 
graphs. 

A word about the varying pressure of the grip with each 
hand. In the address the left hand should just be squeezing 
the handle of the club, but not so' tightly as if one were afraid of 
losing it. The right hand should hold the club a little more 
loosely. The left hand should hold firmly all the way through. 
The right will open a little at the top of the swing to allow the 
club to move easily, but it should automatically tighten itself in 
the downward swing. 

There is only one point now in regard to the finishing of the 
stroke to which one feels that one should direct attention, for if 
everything has been done properly up to this point the accurate 
performance of the rest is almost inevitable. But there is a great 
tendency on the part of some players to twitch in their arms and 



Finish of a Full Drive or Brassey Shot. 
See Chapter IX. 



SpaldiJig^s Athletic Library. 57 

nip the drive after the impact with the ball. The hands are 
pulled in and come to a stop close to the left breast-pocket of the 
coat, and when this is done the club-shaft either points forward 
or straight up. The most immature player will feel by instinct 
that there is something wrong. about this, and that it is a rather 
weak and uncomfortabte way of finishing what was a very even 
and powerful movement. The fact is that the hands have no 
business in this place, and their being there has prevented the 
arms from going out and the club from getting right through 
with the stroke. When the ball has been swept from the tee the 
arms should to a certain extent be flung out after it, and they 
should be carried through well clear of the body until they come 
to a natural and easy stop and not a forced one, just about 
shoulder-high but some distance from the shoulder. When this 
is done the club will have passed the perpendicular and will have 
travelled a distance towards the back, which varies in the case of 
different players. Some men go in for rather exaggerated finishes, 
and carry the club so far through that it comes almost back to 
their right heel, but I cannot sec that there is any advantage in 
tins process, so long as the finish is fully executed up to the point 
I have indicated. When the arms get well through, and the 
hands finish high up in the place I have indicated, the player will 
find that he experiences a sense of completeness and satisfaction, 
even of exhilaration, which will be denied to him if his drive is 
nipped. It is a very pleasant thing when, having followed well 
through and finished the stroke properly, the ball is watched 
speeding onwards on the proper line and with just the right angle 
of flight to make it travel well. 

It is appropriate to mention at this point just a word of 
warning about style. When you have followed tlirough and 




Another View of the Finish of the Full Drive or Brassev Shot 
shovvnig the Position of the Hands and Arms, and hmv the 
Body IS bruuolit ruund to Face (lie Hole. See Chapter IX 



S/a/ding's Athletic Library > 59 

finished the stroke properly, get into the habit of retaining 
this pleasant position until the ball has pretty well run its 
length and the time has come for your opponent to take his 
place on the tee, or, if he has already driven, for you both 
to be moving on. Some players, generally those of a somewhat 
excitable disposition, get into the way of dropping their club, 
or releasing one hand from the grip and dropping it to the 
side, and of moving their feet and bending their body as soon 
as the ball has been sti ack. Perhaps if they quite reahsed 
how badly the appearance of such a proceeding compares 
with that of a finish in the proper manner they would be 
more anxious to get out of the habit than they often are. 

As a final injunction, one would again urge the importance 
of keeping the body perfectly steady not only during the 
upward swing, as already emphasised, but during the down- 
ward swing until the ball has gone, and the head all this 
time should be perfectly motionless with the eye glued on 
to the back of the ball. If the body keeps to its original 
position and turns from the waist, and the head remains still, 
it should be found that at the top of the swing the eyes are 
looking over the le^^t shoulder which will be in a direct line 
between the head and the ball. 




GOOD DRIVES AND BAD 

1. The straight ball usually the besf. 

2. A ball that begins with a little pull and comes round again- 

generally a line traveller. 

3. Slightly pulled — fairly long. 

4. More pull ; trouble likely. 

5. Sliced and length lost. 

6. Bad Slice ; the worst ball of all. 

See Chapter X. 



Spalding's Athletic Library, 6i 



X. 

THE LONG BALL. 

It will be seen that although the drive may look a very 
simple thing when being performed by a capable player, it is 
in reality a fairly complicated set of movements, all of which 
have to lit into each other with the utmost nicety, and the 
least deviation from absolute correctness in the ca'^" of any 
one of them is sufficient to throw the whole thing out of gear 
and ruin the stroke, and how easily ruined it is only golfers 
of experience know. It is too much to expect of any young 
player that he will achieve really good results in driving until 
he has practised most diligently for some considerable time ; 
and indeed he will hardly drive a good ball until the actual 
driving has to a large extent ceased to worry him and he has 
commenced to do it half naturally and unconsciously. 

The more naturally the swing is made and the more perfect 
the movements the longer will the drive become in due course, 
and one must warn the novice against striving too much to 
hit long balls. In a large measure they must be left to come 
of themselves, and any attempt to get them by force, or by 
"pressing," is almost certain to have disastrous results. By 
this I do not mean to say that when the upward and down- 
ward swings are perfectly executed the application of strength 
and force in the second half of the proceeding will not result 
in a gain of distance, because it is evident that many players 




Every fault in D 



riving, and a sight not so uncommon on the 
Links as it may look. 



S/'d/t^i/^i^'s Afhh'tic Lilwary. ("'3 

get their long lialls in this wuy, lout it is not safe to force the- 
drive until the pla3'er is very experienced and his style and 
method? have become quite settled. The beginner should 
make it his sole object to make his swings properl3% to hit 
the ball as it ought to be hit, and to send it straight along 
the line without either pull or slice and at just the proper 
height. If he does this he will find that very gradually but 
very surely length will come of itself, and that really long balls 
may be got without any apparent extra effort of strength. If 
he watches the great players he will find that many of them 
drive balls practically as far as it is humanly possible to do 
under present conditions without any such apparent effort, 
and one is therefore inclined to say that perfect skill combined 
with a moderate amount of strength is what is most neces- 
sary for this purpose. Certainly I would say that the secret 
of the long ball is not absolutely strength, for I think that 
looseness of limb has more to do with it than that. 

For the rest, the art of driving the very long ball seems to 
be more or less of a natural gift. Some men can do it, and 
others can't and never will however much they try, and that 
seems to be the end of it. My own experience rather suggests 
that there is something too mysterious about the business for 
explanation, because though I am considered to be a long 
driver in these days, and am generally capable of holding my 
own in this respect, this was not always the case, and the 
change not only came about suddenly but in a manner that 
I have riever been able to explain with the least degree of 
satisfaction to myself or to any one else. In my younger days 
I was quite a short driver, and in my matches with mv friends 
i was constantly- outdriven, so that I was always having to 



64 Spalding^ s Athletic Library. 

fight hard in the short game. It seemed that my failing in 
this respect would be fatal to me and to my prospects of 
success, when suddenly, without any warning and without any 
conscious alteration of any of my methods, I began to drive 
a great length, and instead of bemg outdriven I began to 
outdrive all my opponents. I actually put on forty yards in 
a fortnight, and those forty yards, with perhaps a few more 
to keep them company, I have retained ever since, never 
having gone back to my old short-driving experiences. How 
this came about is the greatest mystery of my golfing career, 
and I shall never be able to solve it. It certainly was not 
strength that did it. 

Therefore I strongly advise all young players against pressing 
for the long ball. If they are to be any good at the game it 
will be necessary for them to drive a reasonable length, say 
a hundred and eighty yards, with a fair degree of regularity, 
but this can be done without any application of great strength 
— simply by perfect accuracy of swing and proper timing — 
and when they have got to that point of reliability that they 
can depend upon, driving so far on the majority of occasions 
I would recommend to them that for the future instead of 
trying to drive farther and farther, as the majority of them 
do, with the result that a fair proportion of their shots are 
spoiled in the endeavour, they should instead concentrate all 
their efforts on getting straighter and straighter every time. 
They will find this a far more profitable study than that of 
how to get the long ball, even if their researches in the latter 
direction should prove successful. Nothing pays in driving 
like absolute reliability and straightness, and the man who 
always hits a ball of fair length and who te always on the 



Spalding^s Athletic Library. 65 

line and on the straight road for the hole ought generally, 
bar accidents, to score over another who is a confirmed 
slogger, and who doesn't mind if several of his strokes with 
wooden clubs do send his ball into the rough so long as the 
others despatch it a really wonderful distance down the course. 
Jt doesn't pay the sam©. 




stance for Drive with Pull. 
See Chapter XI. 



Spalding's .U/Uetic Library. 67 



XI. 

PULLING AND SLICING. 

To pull and to slice is both a fault and an acquisition, 
according to whether it is accidental or intentional. The 
beginner is not often troubled by pulling, but he very fre- 
quently suffers from badly sliced balls, and they not only 
land him in bunkers and in the rough grass, but they take 
all the length off his drive and cause him the greatest 
exasperation. It is very difficult to set down in writing any 
cure for slicing, because it may be caused in so many 
different ways, and frequently the very slightest adjustment 
of the stance or the swing is all that is necessary. It may be 
pointed out, however, that what really makes the slice is the 
drawing of the face of the club across the ball at the moment 
of impact. This may be done in several different ways, but 
when unintentional it is most commonly due either to the 
pulling in of the arms as soon as the ball has been struck or 
to a faulty stance — with the right foot too far forward. In 
each case the cure here is obvious, but when a young player 
has got a really bad attack of slicing, which he cannot get 
rid of, he should without delay consult his professional, who 
will generally be able to set him right in a very few minutes. 
In the same way pulling, when accidental and not wanted, 
is brought about through many different faults, but it is 
chiefly due to improper stance, to bad <-Jmjnq, or to over- 



%L.-/"" ' ■ ■ ~-^- *fi^ "- 



rJ •*"' ,-^.-* fcF' 




■-'r-^rt' 



Stance for Drive with Slice. 
See Chapter XL 



Spalding^ s Athletic Library. 69 

work by the right hand. As before, ask the professional 
to put you right. 

Sometimes players wish to do these things deliberately, as 
when a pulled or sliced ball will get them round an obstacle 
which is in their way to the hole without putting them to the 
necessity of going over it, a course which might often mean 
a high ball and one which was consequently devoid of length. 
However, I feel much diffidence in giving any instruction on 
these points. For one thing, by the time the player comes to be 
so expert and to have so much command over his club as to feel 
any ambitions of this kind he will have got very far from the 
beginner's stage, and he will really not be in need of instruction 
as to how to do these shots ; and, on the other hand, a player 
would be very ill advised to attempt any tricks of this kind until 
he has obtained this complete mastery over his club and is 
expert in the ordinary strokes of the game. Besides, a man who 
can drive a straight and sure bail will generally find that he can 
adapt himself to practically all the varying circumstances of the 
game, and the way to win matches is generally to play straight 
to the hole. He who is straightest most frequently wins. I 
would only hint that the most elementary direction for obtaining 
the sliced ball is to take your stance with your right foot 
advanced and so that the ball is more in a line with the left 
heel than in the case of an ordinary stroke with a wooden club, 
while to get the pulled ball the right foot should be drawn back 
and the sphere should be more towards the right, or about mid- 
way between the feet. The pulled ball is always more difficult 
to obtain, and especially to control, than the sliced ball. 



o ^ 



tuOtf? 



Spahiuig's A I hie fie Library. 7* 



XII. 
PLAYING IN A WIND. 

I should say something about playing the long game when 
a wind is blowing, which is a circumstance constantly en- 
countered. In this matter, at all events, the player of a very 
little experience may be permitted to attempt some adaptation 
of his play to the prevailing conditions, for it is easily done, and 
involves no very great deviation from ordinary methods. In the 
first place, I would say that it is a very good thing to shorten 
the swing on a windy day, no matter from what point of the 
compass the wind is blowing. There is always a little tendency 
to unsteadiness when the wind is blowing strongly. The player 
is not quite so comfortable as usual, and if he shortens his swing 
he will probably achieve some extra confidence. Moreover, I 
also recommend that when playing both up and down the wind 
the upward and downward swings should be rather slower than 
usual. I find that the effect is advantageous in both cases. 
When playing against the wind the ball always seems to me to 
bore its way better through it when hit slowly than when the 
swing has been quickly made, while with the wind the slow 
swing seems to give the ball more time to rise and get the 
advantage of what is blowing. 

In the case of cross-winds I would not advise young players 
to attempt any greater deviation from their usual game than 
is comprised in the very simple process of making a certain 




^MiHudfaiteJU 



Braid ''letting out at it" in his Drive. 
A characteristic finish by the Champion. 



Spalding'' s Athletic Library. 73 

allowance for the wind in the direction in which the ball is hit, 
and when this is properly done it ought to be sufficient for 
anything. When the wind is blowing from the front against 
the player he may go so far as to stand a little more in front 
of the ball, keep his weight rather more fofward, and take pains 
to hold his right shoulder well up throughout the stroke. The 
result of these. slight variations from the usual course of pro- 
cedure is to keep the ball low down, for it is only a low ball. 
With a lot of driving power in it, that stands any chance of 
getting distance when the wind is coming up strongly from the 
front. In the reverse case, when you are playing down the wind 
the object is to get the ball up fairly high — not forgetting, of 
course, to get the driving power into it as well — so that the wind 
m ly get fairly hold of it and help it along. In this case, if 
it is a tee shot the ball may be teed a little higher than usual, 
bearing in mind that small trifles of this kind go a very long way, 
and the player may take his stance a little more to the right, 
or behind the ball, and allow his right shoulder to droop a little 
more — a proceeding, however, which must be conducted with 
the utmost caution, since dropping the right shoulder is often 
a dangerous fault in beginners, and one which they have 
difficulty in getting out of. 



74 Sj'alding's Athletic Library. 



XIII. 

BRASSEY PLAY. 

To all intents and purposes a brassey shot is simply a tee shot 
without the tee, and all that has been said about driving in the 
foregoing pages applies to play with the brassey. The object in 
each case is to drive the ball as far as possible in the direction 
of the hole, and with this in view a similar type of wooden club 
is employed both times. The only material difference is that 
whereas in the case of the tee shot the player is given everything 
in his favour and is allowed to pick and choose the place where 
he will play from and to tee up the ball exactly to his liking, 
he must in the case of the brassey shot that follows take the 
circumstances as he finds them, whether they are good or bad. 
If the tee shot was a good one the chances are that he will be 
provided with a ball lying nicely for his second shot, as he 
deserves to be, and he may count himself unlucky if he has any 
material difficulties to face in the matter of lie or stance. But if 
the least thing went wrong with the drive, or if the direction was 
not good, it might very likely happen that when the time came 
for the second shot to be played it would be found that neither 
the lie nor the stance were quite what they might be desired to 
be. So many beginners take their brassey as a matter of course 
for the second shot, if it ought to be a long one, that it may be 
timely to suggest to them that they should more frequently ask 
themselves the question when they come to the ball whether the 



Spaldi?ig's Athfefic Library. 7<' 

lie is really one that justifies the use of the brassey, because 
if it does not the chances of failure are very great, whereas by 
sacrificing a little distance a fair amount of success may be 
guaranteed by the use of an iron club. While you do not want 
a teed ball for play with the brassey, the lie must always be 
reasonably good, that is to say the ball must be standing fairly 
well up on the top of the turf, and there must be a clear 
approach to it for the club. If it is at all cupped, or if there 
are obstructions about it which will prevent the wooden club 
from getting quite cleanly to it, it will be far better to choose 
the iron which is best adapted to the circumstances, although 
many players are expert at manipulating their brasseys in all 
kinds of disheartening situations, as they have to be when they 
get into the higher classes of golf and are set the task of winning 
or halving holes from opponents who know every shot in the 
game, and who have had better luck with some of their strokes 
from the tee. 

A word may usefully be said about the club. The brassey is, 
or ought to be, a driver pure and simple, wath only such modi- 
fications as are rendered necessary by the slightly different 
character of its work, and such as would almost suggest them- 
selves to the most inexperienced player. For example, we sole 
the club with a thin sheath of brass for its better protection and 
because the club-head then goes more smoothly and easily to 
the ball. We generally put a little more loft on to the face of the 
club because it has to do the work of picking the ball up from 
the turf, whereas the driver with its straight face had the ball 
already sitting up for it clear of the ground and only needing to 
be driven forward. Care should be taken, however, that too 
mucli loft is not put on the face of the brassey. A very little is 



ye Spalding^s Athletic Library. 

all that is necessary, but some players with a limited experience 
whenever they find difficulty with their brassey, and particularly 
when it seems to them a very hard thing to get the ball up, come 
to the conclusion that there is something wrong with the club, 
and then they take it to the club-maker's shop and ask for a little 
more loft to be filed on to it. Not only does it generally happen 
that the trouble from which they suffered before is still as bad as 
ever, but it must be borne in mind that after all it is desired to 
get length with the brassey, and that there is no compatability 
between length and loft, so that they have materially damaged 
the driving powers of their club, A professional is in the first 
instance very unlikely to put into the hands of a player a club 
which has not got enough loft on it to get the ball up from any 
ordinary lie. Then it often happens that the face of the club 
is rather shorter than that of the driver, particularly at the 
bottom, so that it requires less room to get at the ball and 
encounters less obstruction in case the lie is very grassy or other- 
wise a trifle thick. I must say, however, that I am rather against 
the extremely short faces that have been put on brasseys during 
the last year or two by many makers. I don't see that they are 
necessary, and they must to some extent increase the risk of the 
stroke being a failure. Some people recommend that the brassey 
should be slightly — generally about an inch — shorter than the 
driver used by the same player ; but I cannot understand why 
they do so, and as the object is to play the stroke in the same 
way as when driving from the tee the suggestion seems opposed 
to reason. The brassey should be about the same length as the 
driver. I might add that my own brassey is the same length as 
my driver. Care must be taken that the lie of the brassey 
matches that of the driver, and it is neglect of this rather 



Spalding'' s Athletic Library. 77 

obvious point that causes many of the difficulties of young 
players. They choose a driver to suit them, and then they 
select a brassey which they think is just what they want without 
ever taking the trouble to see that both have the same angles 
of lies, which they should have if the same kind of stance is to 
be adopted in each case. If this precaution is not adopted the 
player may be called upon to play a quite different game with 
his brassey from that to which he has become accustomed with 
his driver, if he is to obtain anything approximating to the same 
results, or if he does not, he is almost sure to fail altogether. 
The driver and the brassey should be perfect duplicates in this 
matter. As a final word about the club, it should usually have 
a fairly stiff shaft, as it is sometimes called upon to execute 
rather rougher work than is ever demanded of the driver. 

When he has the right kind of club in his hands the player 
in attempting a brassey shot has only to play it in the same 
way as when driving, but instead of looking at the side of the 
ball he may be recommended to keep his eyes on the grass 
immediately behind it. This should ensure his hitting the ball 
in the right place. He must get out of his mind at the very 
beginning a little idea tha^ is very likely to get into it, which 
is that the player himself must do something considerable 
towards getting the ball up from its low lie — something, that 
is, that he had not to do when driving. This idea results very 
frequently in his dipping his right shoulder and trying to 
scoop the ball up, and it is very seldom that anything like 
a good shot is ever made out of such attempts. The player 
must be brought to realise that his club is specially designed 
for getting the ball up, and if he takes it cleanly and properly 
the work will be well done without any further assistance from 



y8 Spalding's Athletic Lihraiy. 

him. In what might be called advanced golf there is some- 
times a kind of jab stroke played with the brassey when the 
ball is lying badly and the club has to get well under it to 
force it out ; but the beginner had better make up his mind 
not to attempt any such strokes as this until he has attained 
a great measure of proficiency in the game. 



Spaldi/ig's xitliktic Library. 79 



XIV. 
PLAY WITH IRON CLUBS. 

I have devoted so much space to the play with the wooden 
clubs because the man who learns to play fairly reliably with 
them has laid the foundations of a good game, and in the 
majority of cases he will then get on pretty well with his irons, 
although they require different treatment. Still, in the main 
the principles are the same, and have only to be adapted to 
the special requirements of the different clubs and the needs 
of the situation. When one plays with the driver and the 
brassey the object generally is to get as far as possible ; but 
when the distance it is required to get is less than that which 
may be achieved by a full shot with either wooden club one 
or other of the various iron instruments is generally taken. It 
is taken into account also that when the distance is com.para- 
tively short in this way it is generally required to be more 
exact in tlie placing of the ball. The hole will usually be 
within reach, and it is now desired to get as near to it as pos- 
sible with a view perhaps of saving a stroke or to making the 
final stages of the short game as easy and certain as possible. 
In a word, distance is now to be sacrificed to accuracy. 

Broadly speaking there are five different classes of irons, for 
each of which there is a special use. First there is the cleek, 
with which a good player can get pretty nearly as far as with 
a brassey, and which he uses cither when the distance is 



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Spalding^s Athletic Library. 8l 

rather under that of a brassey or for a long, low approach 
of practically brassey distance, but which calls for special 
accuracy in direction. Some players carry both a cleek and 
a driving mashie in their bags, and have uses for each, but 
as a rule they are employed for the same purpose, and some 
players who find that they cannot get on well with one play 
the same kind of shot with the other. The difference is that 
the driving mashie has generally a shorter and deeper blade 
than the cleek, and is slightly heavier. It is a great favourite 
with many golfers, but those who are masters of the cleek 
have a great preference for the latter. After the cleek and 
the driving mashie comes the iron, which is one of the most 
generally useful clubs that are carried. It is used for shots 
of medium length, say from a hundred up to a hundred and 
thirty or forty yards. Its blade is fairly long and moderately 
deep, and it has some considerable loft on it, so that when 
the ball is struck it lifts it up into the air. In this way 
obstructions between the player and the green are sur- 
mounted, and the high ball does not run so much when it 
comes to the turf, so that its final resting-place can be fairly 
accurately gauged. Next there is the mashie, which is a club 
with a short and deep blade on which there is a great deal of 
loft. This club is only used for very short shots of rarely 
more than a hundred yards at the outside, and its special 
purpose is to pitch the ball high up so that it will not only 
clear all the bunkers guarding the hole but will drop it almost 
dead on to the green without any run on it. If a short 
approach shot of this character were played with a club 
which had not so much loft on it the ball would be kept too 
low and would as a result have a lot of run on it, so that it 



82 Spalding'* s Athletic Library. 

would be very difficult to play it so exactly as to guarantee 
the ball pulling up in that close proximity to the hole that is 
desired. Although the principles of play with it are very 
simple, the mashie is one of the most difficult of all clubs to 
use really well, and it is one in regard to which good play 
pays exceedingly. 

Of the remaining clubs there is the niblick, which is a very 
heavy tool with much loft on it, and which is generally 
employed for delivering the ball from sand bunkers and 
coarse, rough obstructions of all kinds into which either the 
bad play or the bad luck of the golfer has placed it, and for 
which cases the lighter and more delicate iron clubs would 
be quite useless. Some players^, however, have much finer 
uses for the nibhck, and find it to be a very effective club for 
making short lofted approaches, as with it the ball can be 
stopped quite dead on its reaching the green. The fifth iron 
club is the putter, which, as its name implies, is used to putt 
the ball into the hole— the last stroke in the play at each hole 
and one which must obviously be the most delicate and exact 
of all. There are scores of kinds of putters, and some of 
them are not made of iron at all, favourite patterns being in 
aluminium or wood. 

Concerning the details of stance and swing with each of 
these clubs I shall have a little to say in due course, but, 
speaking generally, I would remark here at the outset that I 
do not favour taking a full shot with any of them unless 
special circumstances render it absolutely necessary, except 
perhaps with the cleek. The iron clubs are heavier than the 
wooden ones, and are consequently more under control, and 
it will be found that with a three-quarter swing they will be 



Spalding's Athletic Library. 83 

still more under control, and there will be, or should be, a 
corresponding gain in accuracy which is all-important. By 
a three-quarter swing one means a swing in which the club 
is carried back for only about three-quarters of the distance 
that it would be taken when making a full shot with the 
driver, that is to say not so far as the horizontal. A con- 
siderable amount of practice may be needed to regulate these 
swings, but the player will come to make them with great 
accuracy if he perseveres. 

The play with all iron clubs differs from that with wooden 
ones in another important respect, which is that with them 
the stroke is always much more of a hit. I have impressed 
it on the reader that when driving the ball you do not hit it, 
but, so to speak, sweep it off its resting-place ; but when 
playing it with an iron you do hit it a sharp, sudden blow, 
and the follow-through is of much less importance than in case 
of tee and brassey shots, and is really only of any importance 
at all in so far that it shows whether the upward swing was 
properly made or not. The strongest iron players always 
make a hit pure and simple at the ball. Partly for this 
reason, and partly to gain greater accuracy of direction and 
greater control over the club the irons are gripped much more 
tightly with the right hand. Both hands hold them very 
firmly indeed, but the right hand takes the command, as it 
did not do in the case of the wooden tools. This difference 
is of the utmost importance. This may or may not be the 
chief cause of the tendency to pull with all irons that I have 
constantly noticed is the case. This tendency has always 
been rather a puzzle to me, but anyhow it is not a very 
serious matter. 



°^°-kkk k § 



<0 




Diagram showing the angles of loft on the faces of different clubs, 
as measured on a standard set. See Chapter III. 




The black patch represents the correct place for taking turf. The 
mistake is often made of taking it much more behind the ball. 
See page 49. 



S/ya/di/ig^s AiJiIetic Library. 85 

As the irons have generally shorter shafts and more upright 
lies the player stands closer to his ball than when he was 
playing with his driver and brassey. Also my own stance is 
more open ; that is to say, I have my right foot a little farther 
in front of the left when addressing the ball ; but I am not sure 
that I would recommend this course of procedure to the 
beginner. He will perhaps do better work, at the outset at 
all events, if he maintains the same kind of stance with most 
of his irons as he did in the case of his driver. 

Another general feature of the play with the irons that calls 
for mention in these preliminary remarks is that in most cases 
one takes a little turf when playing the stroke. In driving the 
object is always to hit the ball as cleanly as possible, and the 
less interference the club gets from the turf the better. But 
it is not the same with the irons, and it will be found that 
in their case if the sole of the club cuts through a little piece 
of the turf when it is taking hold of the ball there is not only 
no appreciable loss in power, but a great steadying influence 
is obtained, and the ball flies more accurately. Many players, 
however, make the mistake of taking the turf too far behind 
the ball. It will take them some time to perform these delicate 
operations with any certainty of success, but w^hen they come 
to have complete command over their clubs they will do well 
to cultivate the practice of just hitting the ball first and then 
driving the club through it, as it were, and taking a piece of 
turf from underneath it. It will be found that the flight of 
the ball is very steady when this is done. With this brief 
introduction we may pass on to the consideration of the special 
shots with each class of iron club. 




Address with the Cleek 
See Chapter XV. 



spa/ding's Athletic Library. 87 



XV. 

CLEEK SHOTS. 

For some reason many players find the cleek a most difficult 
club to play with, and after years of perseverance with it they 
give it up and refuse to carry it in their bags, consoling 
themselves with the reflection that it is not much use after 
all, and that they can do quite as well with a driving mashie 
or with a straight-faced iron. They may get very good results 
from the latter, but I am a firm believer in the cleek, and I do 
not think that any man can consider himself quite proficient 
at the game until he has obtained a certain amount of command 
over it, and plays with it regularly when it seems to be the 
proper club for the occasion. A variety of very pretty work 
can be got from the cleek as can be got from no other club, 
and I strongly advise the beginner to persevere with its use at 
the outset of his career, as if he does ~hot he may alv^ays be 
sorry for not having done so. I have already suggested that 
the object when playing with the cleek is to get a long ball, 
perhaps a little shorter than that which would be got with the 
brassey, and as straight as it is possible to get it. Many good 
players constantly get a distance of two hundred yards with 
their cleeks, but generally a hundred and seventy or there- 
abouts is the recognised distance for this club, and it is regu- 
larly used for one-shot holes where the one shot is a full one 
and the object is to place the ball as near to the pin as possible. 




Top of Swing for Full Cleek Shot. 
See Chapter XV, 



Spalding's Athletic Library. 89 

I should explain in passing, in case it may be necessary to any 
very inexperienced reader, that a one-shot hole means a hole 
which is meant to be reached with one shot from the tee, and 
at which the player ought to hole out in 3 (allowing two putts), 
or with a little luck in 2, A 4 at such a hole represents bad 
play. 

The cleek should be not more than an inch or two shorter 
than the driver, and this similarity in length tends to induce 
a certain amount of similarity in playing with it. Take your 
stance just so much nearer to the ball as is necessitated by this 
shorter club, so that when you are addressing you feel the 
same amount of comfort and confidence, and generally feel 
that you are able to do much the same kind of shot. As I 
have said, in my own play I advance the right foot a little, 
but I do not advise young players to begin with variations of 
this kind. If they find they can do better with them, well and 
good. Grip the club firmly with both hands. 

In the upward swing the same directions should be observed 
as when driving. Let the wrists begin the swing, go up slowly, 
keep the right elbow in, and so forth, and it is just as important 
as ever that the body should turn on its own axis, that the 
head should be kept quite still, and that the eyes should be 
riveted on to the ball. The player must.be careful not to 
swing the club too far away from the body, or he will find 
that the result is to cut or slice the ball, and a very little cut 
has a large effect in playing with clubs of this kind. It goes 
without saying that the left foot pivots -and the left knee bends 
in the same way as when driving, but as the swing is rather 
shorter and more restricted they do not do so to quite the same 
extent. For even a full cleek shot the club should not be taken 




,1 ::)v>iii^ :-: -- :— : - --^ck Shot. 
Sec Chapter XV. 



Spalding's Athletic Library 91 

so far back as to make the shaft horizontal, that is to say at 
the top of the swing the blade of the cleck should be, rather 
higher than the hands. If it goes any farther than that there 
will be a considerable loss of control. Come down in the same 
way as with the driver, but tighten the wrists a little more at 
the time of impact — a proceeding which will be natural if it 
is remembered that the ball is to be hit instead of swept from 
the place where it rests. At the same time a warning must 
be given against overdoing this hit and making a stab or jerk 
of it, which is a fault from which many players suffer. When 
the ball is jerked from its lie there can be no sort of control 
over it, and the distance cannot be obtained. After impact 
the club may be allowed to finish in its own way so long as 
the hands and arms are kept well out so as to avoid cutting. 
The finish will be long or short according to the length of the 
backward swing. 

Besides the full shot with the cleek there is the three-quarter, 
and while this may be carried out in the same way there is an 
adaptation of it which I have found to be very useful when 
playing against the wind. In this case I play with a more 
open stance, placing the right foot considerably nearer to the 
ball than the left. The weight is rather more on the left foot 
than the right, and the hands are held slightly forward, in front 
of the head of the club 

In the upward swing the wrists and forearms are kept rather 
stiffer than in the playing of other shots. The former do not 
turn so much, and the left elbow is kept rather straighter, so 
that when the club is at the top of the swing it is found that 
the hands are farther away from the body than when a full 
shot was being made with either the driver or the cleek. Less 




Addres. for Cieek Shot when playing against the Wind. 
See Chapter KY. 




Top of Swinj 



k Shot when playing against the Wind. 
See Chapter XV. 



r 




Fiui>li ui Clcck Shot when Playing against the Wind. 
See Chapter XV. 



Spalding^ s Athletic Library. 95 

bend is also allowed to the left knee, and there is not nearly 
so much pivoting on the left toe as in other cases. On the 
other hand, the right knee stiffens itself more, and the body 
is held more rigidly. The whole attitude is stiffer than usual, 
and it continues to be so to the finish of the stroke. The wrists 
and forearms bring down the club ; and, as in the address, the 
hands are slightly in front of the blade at the time of impact, 
both wrists and forearms being as stiff as they can be made 
at this moment. After impact the right hand turns over some- 
what, and an effort is made to carry the club through as close 
to the turf as is possible, following exactly the line of flight 
of the ball. This is m^ variation of a shot which in one form 
or another is played by most of the leading professionals, and 
one which they find extremely useful in many emergencies. 
It is a shot that is generally only played in fairly advanced 
golf, and I would recommend all beginners to leave these 
refinements of the game severely alone until they have mastered 
the more elementary shots. At the same time this is one which 
will be extremely useful to them when they have got fairly 
going, and then they may take an early opportunity of prac- 
tising it. 




S\M ,. - I ill Iron Shot. 

See Chapter XVI. 



Spalding'' s Athletic Library, 97 



XVI. 

THE IRON. 

With many players the iron is a very favourite club, and 
one which in their hands is made to serve all kinds of useful 
purposes. Moreover, it is true that the approaching distance 
for which the iron is specially suited is constantly being pre- 
sented in the course of a round of the links, and, taking it 
all round, it has to be admitted that the iron is one of the 
most valuable occupants of the golfer's bag. It is certainly 
a beginner's club, because play with it is not generally found 
so difficult as that with either the cleek or the mashie, and it 
is probably the tirst of the iron clubs with which the young 
golfer exhibits any sign of proficiency. Therefore he will do 
well to give it special attention at the outset. I say this, 
although it is often found that the more a man gets on in 
the game the less does he require his iron., often because he 
finds its work a little too crude and too inexact for his liking. 
He frequently gets the same result in a better way from other 
clubs. I myself have no particular fondness for the iron, 
and it is very seldom that I play a full ordinary shot with it. 
When the distance seems to call for such a shot I generally 
prefer to take my cleek and play an easy half-shot with that, 
finding that when I do so I can keep a much straighter ball 
than when I have to make a full swing with the less powerful 
club. However, the beginner would not be well advised to 





'4^ 



i 



'Sec Chapler XVI. 



Spalding^s Athletic Library. 99 

try experiments with half-swings at the outset, and therefore 
he may be recommended to give careful study to the play 
with the club under discussion. 

When he has learned to play his cleek shots he will have no 
particular difficulty with the iron, for it is used in a very similar 
manner. As the shaft of the club is shorter it will usually be 
necessary to stand a little nearer to the ball, and in the case of 
this shot it is also better to take a more open stance, that is to 
play with the right foot a little nearer to the ball than in the 
case of the shots that have already been described. Apart from 
this, the feet should be placed so that the ball is nearer to the 
line of the right heel. 

Grip the club very tightly, and make the upward swing in the 
same manner as with the full shot with the cleek, taking care 
not to prolong the upward movement too far. In all shots of this 
kind a short swing is much better and much more reliable than a 
long one. The stroke is a hit stroke, as with other iron clubs, and 
this is to be remembered when coming down on to the ball so 
that the wrists are stiffened and prepared for the sharp impact. 
After the ball has gone I finish the stroke with the hands well up 
and the club turned round to the back, though it is not essential 
that this should be done. It merely shows that the stroke has 
been cleanly and freely made. At the finish of the stroke, 
according to the Vv'ay in which I make it myself, the player 
should be entirely on his left leg with the right foot on its toe, 
and, as in the case of most other full shots, his body should have 
come round so that it is now facing the hole. 

LOFC. 



Spalding^ s Athletic Library^ 



XVII. 

THE RUNNING-UP SHOT. 

The iron is also very frequently used for another and entirely 
different kind of stroke, that is to say a short running-up 
approach of anything up to fifty or sixty yards. On most 
courses there is usually a more or less formidable bunker 
guarding the green, and when this is the case and the golfer is 
approaching the hole from short range the bunker becomes" a 
serious matter for consideration. The only shot that is possible 
in the circumstances is a lofted shot, and the proper thing to do 
this with is the mashie, as will be described shortly. But it 
sometimes happens that there is either no bunker, or that the 
previous shot has just cleared it but has still left a fair amount of 
ground to be covered before the pin is reached. Many players 
in these days have got so accustomed to the belief that the 
mashie is the only thing to do any kind of approach work with 
that they still use it in circumstances of this kind ; but a 
running-up shot with a less lofted club is far preferable and, 
executed by a man who knows what he is doing, is likely to give 
far better results. There is a much better chance of laying the 
ball near to the hole when running-up than when pitching with 
the mashie, and it is a shot which gives scope for any amount of 
skill, so that tlie tendency in these days is to make holes with 
fewer bunkers in front of them so as to give more opportunities 
for this running-up 



Spalding's Athletic Library loi 

The object of the stroke is just to hft the ball clear of the 
ground until the putting green is reached, or nearly, and then 
to let it drop there and finish with a little run up to the pin. It 
is obvious that for this purpose very little loft is needed on the 
club, and indeed the less there is on it the better, so that while 
the iron is often used — perhaps more generally so than any 
other club — many players get better results and are able to 
gauge the shot with much more accuracy by using a club 
with a straighter blade, such as a straight-faced iron, which 
they may carry in their bags, or even a cleek. The method 
of making the stroke is very simple. 

The player must stand very straight up and take a firm and 
fairly open stance, with the ball rather more in a line with the 
riglit heel than usual. The swing will be a very short affair, 
since very little propulsion is necessary in order to make the ball 
travel .such a short distance. Exactly what length of swing to 
give will naturally vary with the distance to be traversed, and 
the player must be left to find out in practice what swing to give 
for each particular shot, and need only be recommended always 
to try to get his distance exactly by swinging exactly instead of 
by swinging almost the same distance each time and regulating 
the force that he puts into the stroke. In a general way it will 
be found that even for a fairly long run up it will not be 
necessary to swing the blade of the club more than elbow high ; 
and, this being so, the body should be kept very stiff and steady, 
and the left knee should bend in towards the right but a very 
little, the heel scarcely coming off the ground. In finishing the 
stroke the wrists should be kept fairly stiff, and after impact the 
right hand should turn over slightly while tlie head of the club 
should sweep along close to tlie ground and finish low down 



I02 Spa/ding^ s Athletic Library, 

pointing to the hole. Of course for a shot of this character no 
turf is to be taken. The ball should be hit as cleanly and 
accurately as possible, and the player must guard against a 
tendency that will assert itself to look up towards the hole before 
he has actually struck the ball ; in fact, the rule about keeping the 
eye on the ball has to be insisted upon more than ever when the 
short game is being played, because it is then that it is most 
commonly broken. In many respects this delicate running-up 
shot is a miniature of the three-quarter forcing shot with the 
cleek as already described. 



spa /ding's Athletic Library 



XVIII. 
THE MASHIE. 

This is a club that generally gives the young golfer a good 
deal of trouble, though there is no great reason why it should 
do so, and the cause as a rule is merely over-anxiety. The hole 
is close at hand, and there is commonly a hazard of some 
kind intervening which will catch the ball if the least thing 
goes wrong, and thus spoil the whole of what may have been 
very good play up to that point. I need say no more con- 
cerning the club than that it should have a fair amount of 
weight in it, and should have a strong shaft in which there 
must be no tendency to whip. Spring in the shaft is all very 
well in the case of some clubs, but it is quite out of place in 
a mashie. There are many different patterns of blades, and 
it is not much use recommending any particular one of them 
to the player, because as soon as he gets on in the game he 
is almost certain to exhibit a preference of his own in this 
respect. However, one may recommend him not to overdo 
the loft on his club, as, however much it may be necessary 
to get the ball up, it must not be forgotten that it is also 
necessary to take well hold of it, and there may be a difficulty 
in doing this when the face of the club is laid back at too 
great an angle. 

There are generally understood to be two kinds of shots 
with the mashie — a very full mashie which is similar to an iron 




Addi-ess for Approach Stroke with Mashie. 
See Chapter XVIII. 



Spalding^ s Athletic Library, 105 

shot, and only differs from it in that the ball is carried a 
shorter distance and goes up higher, so that it comes down 
with less run — all this being mostly due to the club — and the 
short-pitching shot, in which the ball is just lifted straight 
up into the air to come down again a very little distance in 
front with next to no run on it. The former may be employed 
when the ball is somewhere about eighty yards from the hole, 
and the latter usually comes in most frequently at about forty 
or fifty. In reality there is not much difference between the 
strokes except in degree — that is to say in the length of the 
swing and consequently the force with which the ball is hit. 

The stance for the mashie shot differs slightly from that 
which was taken in the case of the iron. It should always 
be very open, and the right foot is consequently well advanced, 
while the ball is placed in a line about midway between the 
feet. For my own part I believe, in holding the hands very 
low down — at practically the full stretch of the arms — so that 
the heel of the club is on the turf and the toe is slightly 
raised. This course of procedure seems to help tie club to 
get under the ball better. At the same time the player should 
stand very close to the ball, and he should grip the club very 
tightly. It is essential that throughout this stroke he should 
have a very firm grip. 

In making the upward swing it has to be borne in mind 
that as it is required to pitch the ball up, and as one of 
the means of doing this is to come down very straight on to 
it, the club should be carried very straight up when, it is 
being taken away from the ball. The best way of doing this, 
and at the same time .of preserving that semi-rigidity which 
is essential to good masiiie play, is to allow the wrists and 




Top of Swing when Approaching with the Mashie. 
See Chapter XVI 11. 



Spalding'' s Aihietic Lihi-ary. 107 

forearms to do nearly all the work ; and this is generally 
recognised to be the proper method. The arms are allowed 
to bend slightly from the elbows, and the right elbow is kept 
well in to the body. While there should be a fair amount of 
slackness and plav in the legs to begin with, the knees being 
allowed to bend considerably, there should be very little move- 
ment in either feet or legs w'hile the stroke is being made. 
The left knee may bend in very slightly towards the right 
toe, but the heel should scarcely be raised from the ground, 
and there should be nothing in the nature of pivoting. In this 
way the body will not be allowed to turn very much, and it 
is important that it should not be allowed to do so. The 
more rigidly it is held the better. As for the distance to 
which the club is taken back, this must necessarily depend 
on the length of the shot which it is required to make, but it 
should be very seldom necessary when using the mashie to 
go much beyond the perpendicular, and when a player docs 
so he is probably asking rather more of the club than he 
ought to do. 

As usual the downward swing is a repetition of the upward 
one, and there is little to say about it that will not be evident 
to the player by this time. He must take care to carry the 
club well through in the direction of the hole, and not to hug 
it in towards him just after impact — a fault which is very 
much in evidence with some players and which completely 
ruins the shot. In finishing one does not allow the body to 
turn round towards the hole quite so much as with other shots 
with iron clubs, and consequently the right knee does not 
turn in so much. The club should finish about as high up 
as it was taken in the backward swing. It is of great im- 



Finish ol Apprucich Sliut wiUi Hk- 
See Chapler XVII 1. 



Spalding^ s Athletic Library. 109 

portance to impress upon . the young golfer who is not 
thoroughly acquainted with mashie play that it is not neces- 
sary for him to do anything in particular except obey the 
simple instruction for swinging the club as here laid down 
in order to make the ball pitch up in the required manner. 
If the club is swung properly the loft on its face will get the 
ball up quite sufficiently for any purpose, and when the 
player gets trying to assist the club in this direction by 
wriggling his hands about when making the stroke and 
endeavouring in some peculiar manner to jerk the ball up 
there is sure to be trouble. In itself mashie play is not so 
very difficult after all, but many players contrive to make it so. 
There are one or two other kinds of approach shots, chiefly 
that in which a little cut is applied to the mashie stroke in 
order to make the ball stop more dead than usual when it 
alights on the green, but the beginner had better not attempt 
them. They are not easy, and it will be quite time enough 
for him to try his skill at this sort of thing when he has had 
at least a year or two's practice. Besides they are not often 
wanted. Remember that with all mashie shots a little turf 
should always be taken. It is next to impossible to play them 
well without, but the turf must be taken at the right time 
and in the right place. 




stance and Address for Bunker Stroke with Niblick. 
See Chapter XIX. 



Spalding's Athletic Library. iii 



XIX. 

THE NIBLICK. 

This is a heavy club with a deep face and much laid back 
for the special purpose of making the ball rise very quickly 
over some obstruction immediately in front. The use to 
which the niblick is most frequently applied is to get the 
player out of bunkers and other difficult places to wliich his 
bad shots have taken him, and as a rule it is about the only 
club that is practicable in the circumstances. The golfer 
should make a point, however, of asking himself when he has 
got into a bunker whether any other club than the niblick 
is possible in the situation that is presented. Some players 
get so much into the habit of taking their niblick quite 
mechanically when in bunkers that they miss many good 
opportunities of making far better recoveries than is possible 
with it, for it occasionally happens that the ball is lying quite 
well and at a fair distance from the face of a low bunker, in 
which circumstances it might be quite easy to get in a good 
shot with a mashie, or even now and then with an iron or 
driving mashie. However, while pointing out this possibility, 
it is never to be forgotten that after all the first thing to be 
thought of when one has got into a bunker is to make sure 
of getting out in one stroke, and therefore a club should 
never be taken which the player is not quite certain is equal 
to the task in hand. 




Top of Swing for Bunker Stroke with Niblick. Note the Upright 
Character of the Swing. See Chapter XIX. 






13 <U 



fc 




Address for an Approach with the Niblick. 
See Chapter XIX. 



Spaldmg's Athletic Library. 115 

The method of playing the niblick for a bunker shot is 
very similar to that of the mashie. It will often happen that 
the player has not very much choice in the matter of stance, 
and will at times have to put up with some very unorthodox 
positions ; but when he has as much choice as he wants, he 
will take a medium open stance and have the ball fairly well 
towards his right foot. In the upward swing he should hold 
the club very tightly and take it up very straight and rather 
high. In the case of this shot he must not keep his eyes on 
the ball during the swing, but on the sand an inch or so 
behind it, and he must bring the club down on to this place 
in the sand so that it will drive its way through it and under- 
neath the ball, giving it such a lift up as would be possible in 
no other way. Generally when a ball is played out of a 
bunker in this way the club does not even touch it. There 
need be no attempt to finish the stroke, which naturally comes 
to an end when the club is ploughing its way through the 
sand underneath the ball. The player may be recommended 
not to lose sight of any advantage that is to be gained by 
playing the ball at an angle across the face of the bunker 
instead of straight in front. When this can be done it will 
be seen that the shot is rendered much less difficult through 
its not being necessary to make the ball rise so quickly, and 
the player may be spared the exasperation of seeing the ball 
rise to within an inch of the top of the bunker, but then hit 
it and come flopping back into the sand very probably in a 
worse lie than before. Bunker shots are worth far more 
practice than is given to them. No player is ever so perfect 
that he does not get into Hunkers sometimes, and it will be 
an enormous gain to him if he cultivates the power of getting 



^.., 




am 



lop of Swing in an Approach with the Niblick. 
See Chapter XIX. 



i ..... .. of Approach will: 2 

See Chapter XIX. 



jjg Spalding^ s Athletic Library. 

well out of them in one shot when these misfortunes occur 
to him. 

Although the average player so seldom thinks of them, there 
are other uses for the niblick besides bunker shots, and one of 
them is for short approaches to which it is desired to apply a 
considerable amount of loft and when it is necessary to stop the 
ball very dead indeed, as soon as it comes down to the turf. 
For this kind of work the heavy head of the niblick witii its 
large amount of loft is very well suited, and in the hands of some 
players some perfectly marvellous work can be got out of it. In 
many respects the nibUck shot played in this way fulfils all the 
functions of the cut mashie. For some time past I have been 
using a niblick with an unusually large face, which I find better 
than the ordinary niblicks for all purposes. 



Spalding^ s Athletic Library. 119 



XX. 

PUTTING. 

It happens, unfortunately, that concerning one department of 
the game that will cause the golfer some anxiety from time to 
time, and often more when he is experienced than when he is 
not, neither I nor any other player can offer any words of 
instruction such as, if closely acted upon, would give the same 
successful results as the advice tendered under other heads 
ought to do. This is in regard to putting. 

In one respect putting is the simplest thing in golf, inasmuch 
as there is no complicated swing to make and to be continually 
getting out of order ; but, as everybody of experience knows, the 
making of the final strokes on the putting green in the endeavour 
to get the little white ball into the hole at last, is the most 
difficult and trying task imaginable, and the one which is most 
constantly disappointing. It is impossible to tell a man what to 
do in order to putt the ball into the hole. He must find out for 
himself, and make himself into as good a putter as he can by 
constant practice. Much may be done by this constant practice, 
and bad putters have been turned into good ones ; but really 
great putters are probably born and not made, and some 
astonishing results have been obtained by the veriest beginners. 
It is quite possible that many people may putt better in the early 
part of their experience than later on, for they may think it 



r" 




Baud's St.r,cc and Address when Putting. 
See Chapter XX. 



Spalding's Athletic Library. 121 

easier than it really is, and thus have plenty of confidence, and 
there is nothing like confidence in putting. 

However, while one cannot tell a player how exactly to putt a 
ball into the hole from any given distance, and while also it 
would be unwise to direct him to take any particular stance for 
putting, believing that the man is best off in this department 
who does things in that way which comes most natural to him 
and in which he is most comfortable, there are certain general 
principles which it would be very dangerous and possibly 
disastrous to disobey, and which may be mentioned here. In 
the first place, putting is an extremely delicate operation, and 
calls for the most careful gauging of strength and direction in 
the stroke. This being so, it is obvious that if the body moves 
in the least the whole of the delicate calculation must necessarily 
be upset, and really fine putting be made an impossibility. 
Therefore the body must be kept absolutely still, and the head 
also quite motionless. Generally it must be done by the hands 
and wrists only, and the right hand is the one to putt with, the 
other merely holding and steadying the club. It is palpably 
necessary that the very utmost steadiness in swinging the club 
must be constantly displayed. Nervous, shaky, wobbly taps are 
useless. 

Also, the stroke must be a smooth and easy one, just as much 
so as any other stroke in the game, and the player must guard 
> against getting into the habit of stabbing his ball. This is a 
common mistake ; but when it is made the regulation of 
strength and direction is most difficult. The club must be 
brought on to the ball in a nice even sweep, and it should 
follow-through properly. As in other strokes the swing should 
be regulated precisely according to the distance to which it 










p 



spa/ding^ s Athletic Library. 123 

is desired to putt the ball. A great deal depends on hitting 
the ball quite truly on the proper place on the club, and to 
ensure this, care must be taken to keep the eye on the ball 
until the stroke has been made. The tendency to take it off 
and look up at the hole before the ball has been started on 
its journey is greater in the case of putting than anything 
else, and it is fatal every time. 

As to stance, I myself think there is a great deal to be said for 
a very open stance, and this is one with which I play, having 
the ball nearly opposite my right toe ; but I would hesitate to lay 
down any definite rule in the matter. The beginner may be 
left to experiment for himself. Also he may be left to experi- 
ment with putters, as it is in the farthest degree unlikely that he 
will be satisfied with the first one that he buys. He will think 
that he will be able to putt better and save more holes if he buys 
a new one, and this may happen several times before he has a 
real favourite of his own. I might hint again, however, that I 
think there is something to be said for having one kind of putter 
to run up with and another for holing out from a short distance. 
The importance of making a most careful study of the line of 
every putt cannot be too strongly impressed upon the player. If 
there are undulations of the green to be dealt with they cannot 
be considered too carefully or the calculations made too exactly, 
for the ball is exceedingly sensitive to them. It is sometimes 
even necessary to make wide allowances for undulations that are 
scarcely perceptible, and this is specially the case when greens 
are fast. There is a wise maxim " Never up, never in," and it 
may only be added that it is better to be a foot beyond the hole 
than six inches on the near side of it. 



1^4 Spalding's Athletic Library. 

XXI. 

PLAYING THE ROUND. 

We have thus made a short study of all the leading strokes 
in the game, and by the time the player is able to make them 
with any kind of complete knowledge as to how they should 
all be done, even if he cannot make them properly, he will 
be playing his rounds against opponents, and ought to be a 
constantly improving golfer. 

In regard to playing a round as a whole there are one or 
two points that it may be wise to mention here. To play the 
ball from the tee to the hole is never quite such a simple 
business as it looks if it is to be done properly and the hole 
won or halved with an opponent. The player will find it to 
be necessary to play with his head all the time, and one of 
the first things that he will have to learn, and one which he 
will find of use all through his career is when to take risks 
and when not to. The mere beginner should never take 
risks, that is to say he should never attempt shots which he 
imagines may be beyond his powers, because he will be doing 
much to spoil the style he is forming for himself and get 
himself into very bad habits. Let him content himself with 
making the shots in an easy and comfortable way, and being 
as certain about them as he can be. 

But the time will come when the question will present 
itself acutely to him as to whether he shall attempt a shot 
which he thinks is quite likely to fail, in the hope of gaining 



Spalding^s Athletic Library. ^ 125 

some great advantage if it comes off. In these circumstances 
it is simply a question of profit and loss, and the player must 
make a careful calculation as to which is, on the whole, the 
more profitable policy. It may happen that a very desperate 
shot is the only one to save the match ; in that case it is the 
obvious duty of the player to go for it. If a rnan is two down 
with three to play, he must take risks with nearly every 
stroke ; but if he is two up with three to play he must risk 
nothing. Again, if his opponent has played the odd or two 
more, he himself will naturally play a safer game than if he 
were the party playing the odd or two more. In any case no 
stroke should ever be made without a full consideration of 
all the various contingencies that are possible. Heedless, 
haphazard players never get on in the game. 

They may not find it an easy thing to arrange, but whenever 
possible the young player should strive to arrange his match 
with better players than himself. He may not win so many 
of them ; but they will do his game a lot of good, and will 
pull him out as nothing else will. He should be chary of 
accepting advice from players who are not much better 
than himself ; but from really good golfers he may learn 
much, and he should always be very observant, for probably 
more players have learned to play a very fine game through 
watching others play it than in any other way. Until he has 
got very far advanced the player should from time to time 
take a lesson from his original tutor, who will often cure him 
of faults into which he is dropping, perhaps unconsciously, 
and give him some new hint which in his then state of 
experience will be very timely and valuable. He will find it 
very good practice to go out occasionally with only one club, 



126 Spalding's Athletic Library. 

that one being one with which he has a lot of trouble. He 
will discover that he can do more in the way of breaking 
himself into it in one hour in this way than he would do in 
a month by simply using the club when it came to its turn 
in ordinary match play. 

Finally, let me recommend the young player to obtain the 
fullest knowledge of the rules of the game and of its etiquette, 
so that he may never be in ignorance of the former and never 
be guilty of a breach of the latter, which is the worst fault 
a golfer can commit. He will soon learn that it is his first 
duty to replace the turf which is cut out in the act of playing, 
and he must realise that it is not enough merely to throw the 
turf down on the spot from where it was cut. The object of 
replacing is not to cover up the gash made, but to give the 
turf a chance to grow again, as it will do if properly laid back. 
The operation should therefore be performed carefully, and 
the turf properly and thoroughly patted back into its place 
with the foot. The etiquette of golf simply consists in showing 
a proper regard for the convenience and pleasure of others, 
and therefore for the good of the game. There are many ways 
in which this may be done, and in which alas ! it is too often 
left undone. For example, when a player has visited a bunker 
and made large marks in the sand with his heels or his club, 
it behoves him to fill them up carefully and rake the sand 
with his club before going on. If he does not, some other 
player's ball may be penalised most cruelly and unfairly by 
going into those heel or club marks. 

If the golfer always does to others as he would be done by 
he will fmd his life on the links very much pleasanter than 
it would be otherwise. 



Spalding' s Athletic Library. 1 27 



XXII. 
THROUGH THE YEAR. 

He is the best golfer who best adapts himself to varying con- 
ditions : that is a principle which there is no gainsaying. The 
man who learns to adapt himself in this way is certain to come 
by as great improvement in his game, and he will enjoy it more. 
Yet one finds the general run of golfers give little thought to 
such questions, and go on playing the same kind of game with- 
out the slightest variations, from the beginning of the year to the 
end of it, through all the rain and winds of winter and spring, 
and the heat and hard courses of summer, back again to the wet 
of the end of the season. 

I should be the last in the world to countenance any unneces- 
sary fiddling about with one's game or trying "fancy" experi- 
ments more for the sake of satisfying one's curiosity than for 
any other reason, when the^ player's style and his methods have 
not become thoroughly settled down ; but this is a quite different 
thing from exercising a careful discrimination and using one's 
intelligence to the utmost extent when conditions present them- 
selves with which one is less familiar than usual, or with which 
one has not been confronted for some weeks or months, besides 
which it does not at all follow that the shots which are sug- 
gested at such times have anything of a "fancy" character about 
them. I will offer very briefly a few suggestions which may cause 
some golfer to take a less superficial view of the demands which 
the change of seasons make upon their capacity, and which may 



12^ Spalding' s Athletic Library, 

lead them to a private study of situations which will be all to 
their benefit as players of the game which, to my mind, requires 
more constant thought than any other field pastime. 

Golf may be the same game in winter as in summer, but it is 
quite certain that in some respects it needs different treatment, 
and the changes in this treatment will vary according to the man 
and the place where he plays the game. Now, to begin at the 
beginning, the early part of the year in this country finds us in 
the depth of winter, when courses are for the most part heavy 
and difficult, putting greens sluggish, when there are high winds 
prevalent ; when, speaking generally, lies are not so good as at 
other times : the ball has little flight and less run, and doing 
holes in par is a more difficult task than at other times. 

One of the first questions I would suggest that the golfer 
should ask himself is, whether the clubs that he uses all through 
the dry season are the best possible for this one. I do not 
believe in having too many clubs, or in making changes in them 
without good reason ; but it is evident that the club that is mainly 
designed to pick up a ball from a good lie may not be so well 
adapted as another one for picking it up from a bad lie. In this 
matter our consideration is at once, and chiefly, attracted to 
the brassey, and it is a common complaint among golfers on 
inland courses in winter-time, especially those which are laid in 
suburban districts and on a clayey soil, as they so often are, 
that their brasseys are very little use to them, and that nearly 
every time they attempt to play a shot with them they are met 
with failure. In many cases such players — and wisely from 
their point of view — give up the use of their brasseys altogether 
until the conditions improve, and take to playing their long 
shots through the green with driving mashies or heavy irons, 



Spalding' s Athletic Library. 129 

which, though more effectual, are very unsatisfactory clubs when 
there are distances of between two or three hundred yards 
between the ball and the hole to which the play is being directed. 

It is quite evident that the brassey which has a flat sole, and a 
fairly long one at that, as most brasseys have, being designed to 
take the ball as cleanly as possible, is very poorly adapted for 
play when the ball has fallen heavily without run, and has made 
a small cup for itself in the very soft turf. It is impossible to 
get at the ball with such a club without digging very heavily 
into the turf, and in such circumstances any good and satisfactory 
kind of stroke is an impossibility. 

Now what I recommend for winter play on such soft courses 
as this, where proper brassey lies are very seldom obtained, is a 
special kind of brassey, rather long and shallow in the face and 
with a curved sole. The curved sole is the chief feature, for a 
moment's consideration will make it plain that when the ball is 
taken at the middle and lowest part of the sole, as it ought to 
be, this part can get fairly well under the ball and get properly 
hold of it, without the remaining part doing any digging, and 
thus you will have all the advantages of playing with a club 
with a head and face very little wider than the ball and none 
of the disadvantages, and with it many full brassey shots are 
possible and easy which would be quite impracticable with an 
ordinary brassey. This type of club, which is very seldom seen 
in a golfer's bag, is really one of the most useful clubs that he 
can carry, and it can be made of excellent service on many other 
occasions besides this one, though I consider that its chief merit 
lies in its application to wet and very soft courses in such cir- 
cumstances as I have described. 

It may be just as well also to remind the player that in a 



130 Spalding's Athletic Library. 

general way clubs with deep faces are not so well adapted to 
pla^-ing low-lying balls, which it is difficult to get up properly, 
as are clubs with shallow faces. The principle, of course, is not 
a binding one ; but, generally speaking, shallow-faced clubs give 
more rise to a ball than deep- faced ones, as they come to operate 
more on the under side of the ball. 

When the course is very wet and sticky, it . should also be 
borne in mind the run of the ball is generally very tricky, and 
it follows from this that it is as well to dispense with run as 
much as possible in the playing of approach shots, that is to say, 
that the ball should be kept up, and pitching resorted to rather 
than running up, although I am a strong advocate of playing the 
running-up shot in preference to the other type on every possible 
occasion when circumstances w^arrant it. But it is no use 
adhering to the run-up shot if you cannot have the slightest 
dependence on the run of the ball when the life is dying out 
of it. 

Then, of course, the winter and the early spring are the times 
of high winds, and there is nothing that more completely baffles 
a golfer of small experience, or one who is not accustomed to 
think deeply and theorize to a considerable extent, than a strong 
wind, no matter from what quarter of the compass the wind 
comes. It is of great importance that every player should make 
himself thoroughly acquainted with the best methods of dealing 
with winds, and he will find a little study in this department of 
the game more remunerative to him than, perhaps, any other. 
It generally happens that, in the absence of such thought and 
study, some of his notions on the subject are of the crudest 
possible description and often quite the reverse of accurate. 
For example, many players, if asked what was the best way of 



Spalding' s Athletic Library. 131 

playing so as to make the best of a wind coming from the right 
side or the. left, would say that in the former case the proper 
thing to do would be to slice the ball so that it would fight 
against the wnnd force; while when the wind came from the 
right the reverse procedure should be followed, that is to say, 
the ball should be pulled. Generally, however, not being able 
either to slice or pull at will, they content themselves with 
playing an ordinary shot and making wind allowance, which is 
certainly better than doing what they say would be the proper 
thing if they were only able to do it. If they sliced against a 
wind coming from the right they might certainly keep their ball 
straight, but they would at the same time practically kill its 
flight and get the very shortest carry, because the wind and the 
slice would be fighting against each other all the way, and the 
energy of the ball would be completely exhausted m the process. 
The proper thing to do in such a case would be not to slice 
and treat the wind as an enemy, but to make a friend of it, and 
aiter making a very large allowance in the direction in which the 
stroke is aimed, to pull the ball. You would play the stroke 
sharply away to the right with a lot of pull, and then by the 
time it came round it would shoot away towards the hole with 
the wind much more in its favor than against it. In this way 
not only would the wind not be adverse, but it is possible many 
times to get longer balls than could be obtained if there were 
no wind at all, and, besides, playing a shot in this way opens up 
great opportunities for playing for position and making the wind 
of great service if a short approach shot has to be played. Thus, 
if it is evident that such a shot will have to be made, the wise 
player will naturally try to steer his ball so that if the wind is 
across he will have it against him for the little shot that has to 



132 Spalding's Athletic Library, 

follow, particularly if a hazard will have to be cleared and a high 
shot will be called for. 

Pitching can be much more accurately performed when there 
is a wind to play against than when it will follow the ball and 
take it goodness knows where. The great effect of wind on 
short, delicate shots is very often too little appreciated. 

Even when playing straight up or straight down wind players 
often go about their strokes without thinking sufficiently. It is 
above all things necessary at such times to remember that to all 
intents and purposes they are playing on a different course from 
the one that they play over when there is no wind to speak of. 
As the length of all the shots is seriously affected, so the hazards 
are in different places in relation to them, and this fact must be 
fully weighed when calculating the play to a hole, and even in 
the case of straight winds like these it may often pay very much 
better not to play straight at the hole but sideways, so that an 
easier stroke may be presented for the second than would other- 
wise be the case. 

Also it will be a very good thing for the player's game if he 
will make himself thoroughly acquainted with the best-known 
methods of playing high and low, according as to whether the 
wind is in his favor or against him. Commonly his ideas con- 
sist exclusively of varying the height of his tee ; but this is a 
very incomplete sort of device, and as a matter of fact when a 
low shot is ^Dlayed properly and in the most scientific way a low 
tee is not needed, and I prefer a tolerably high one so that the 
ball may be taken quite cleanly. When playing down wind it 
will be a good thing if a player keeps in mind the simple rule 
that his weight should be well on his right foot and the ball teed 
away a little more to the left than usual, and that when he is 



Spalding' s Athletic Library. 133 

playing up wind the reverse procedure should be adopted, that 
is, the weight should be thrown on to the left foot, and the ball 
should be teed to the right, or the stance arranged accordingly 
if it is a brassey shot and not a tee shot that has to be played. 

Remember that when playing in the rain the latter has natur- 
ally a depressing tendency on the ball and throws it down 
sooner than it would otherwise fall, and allowances must be 
made for this fact in the prelimmary calculation of the carry 
that has to be obtained. At this time of day I need not repeat 
the warning as to the danger of playing with rubber grips in wet 
weather, when it is almost impossible to keep the hands tight on 
the club; but I may mention that a very good thmg to wear to 
enable one to keep a tight grip, when the handles of the clubs 
are wet. are common cotton gloves, which I have used for this 
purpose on many occasions with great satisfaction. 

Another useful hint is that when the weather is very cold and 
the hands are apt to become numbed with it — and no player can 
play his proper game when his hands are in this state — is to wear 
woollen knitted cuffs over the wrists. These serve as a protec- 
tion to the blood veins that feed the hands, and the effect in 
many cases is truly wonderful. 

So much by way of a few suggestions as to Golf when it is 
wet, windy, and cold, as in the winter-time. Now let us just 
briefly take into consideration the reverse conditions, such as 
obtain in the summer-time when long spells of sunshine and 
heat make the courses not only very fast, but, what is more 
difficult to deal with, very hard. 

The one great thing to remember is that when links are in 
such a state as this, it is absolutely necessary that the ball should 
at all times be taken cleanly, especially in the case of second 



134 Spalding <i Athletic Library 

shots with wooden chibs. When the lurf is fairly soft and 
yielding there is usually some small latitude allowable in the 
matter of taking the ball cleanly with the brassey. and a slightly 
greater latitude in the case of iron shots, that is to say, a more 
or less satisfactory kind of shot can be got in when the ball is 
not taken to the eighth of an inch in the place where it ought 
to be. although even in such circumstances a shot is never so 
sweet and effective as when the ball is taken quite accurately. 

But when the ground is hard, it is an exceedingly dangerous 
thing not to take the ball quite cleanly, for in the case of brassey 
play the tendency is for the head of the club to be jerked up- 
wards on touching the turf behind the ball and to result in the 
ball being topped and generally foozled instead of being taken 
hold of well underneath, as would have been the case if the turf 
had been at all yielding. In the case of iron shots the head of 
the club is frequently twisted, and the force of the stroke is 
completely broken if the player evinces the smallest disposition 
to take turf. 

The moral is obvious — that when courses are hard the ball 
must be taken clearly in the case of every shot possible, even in 
the case of the short-pitched approaches. It is not an easy 
thing to do; but it is too often assumed that the Golf for the 
time being is spoiled by its being necessary. It is most excellent 
training, for the generality of golfers pay too little attention to 
perfectly clean hitting, and it is not too much to say that a very 
large proportion of them could drive farther if they cultivated 
the habit of taking the ball a trifle higher up, which is just what 
golfing on hard courses in July and August will teach them 
to do. 

One of two special hints I would offer to them. It is likely 



Spalding s Athletic Library. I35 

that in most cases when cultivating the most perfectly clean 
hitting nndtr these circumstances of the most absolute necessity, 
they may with advantage swing back a little more slowly than 
usual. This will conduce to accuracy, and will not probably lead 
to any reduction in length. 

In the second place, it is of the utmost importance in cultivat- 
mg the proper hitting of the ball to focus the eye upon one 
particular part of the ball, and for general purposes that part 
is the side of the ball and not the top or the bottom of it. Most 
players on being asked what part of the ball they look at when 
swinging their clubs at it, would be obliged to answer that they 
have no particular spot, but look at the ball in general. The 
result is that there is a lack of concentration of thought and 
purpose in making the stroke, which is all against any certainty 
of success. 

In many cases when the times comes to make full shots from 
low-lying balls on very hard turf, I think the player might serve 
himself well by making use of the same curved-sole brassey that 
I recommended for winter play, for it will easily be understood 
that it must have a tendency to promite clean hitting. 

In the warm and dry season putting greens become hard and 
fast, and though, generally' speaking, putting is then better and 
truer than at other tmies, it is none the less the fact that it is 
often more difficult, since the greens are so full of tricks and it 
IS difficult to control the ball when dealing with slopes . of any 
kind except upward ones. The only suggestion I have to make 
in this matter is that it is a convenient time for the golfer to 
ask himself the question as to whether there is any good reason 
why he should consider himself a slave to the same putter all 
the year round, and whether it is not conceivable that what may 



136 Spalding's Athletic Library. 

be splendidly adapted to the slow winter greens, when the ball 
wants punching up to the hole, is not so well adapted to the 
putting greens of summer, when the most delicate touches are 
all that are needed. 

A very little thought will bring one to die conclusion that a 
little loft on the putter is a good thing for fast greens, and this 
brings me to make the suggestion that a large proportion of 
players might do very much better at such times if they putted 
with a common straight-faced iron instead of a putter. Too 
many of them seem to think that they are going in for a kind of 
freak golf, or essaying something enormously difficult, if they 
adopt any measures of this kind, whereas the procedure is 
obviously proper and is comparatively simple. 

Whenever the circumstances of the bunkering of the course 
permit, I believe in all short approaches to the hole being run 
up when the course is hard, instead of being pitched. From 
nearly every point of view the pitch shot is difficult and unre- 
liable in dry, hot weather, whereas the run-up is exactly suited 
to such circumstances, and some wonderfully effective work can 
be performed by its means. Some people are disposed to sneer 
at it and say that it is not a true golfing shot. The only thing 
to say in reply is that it is as much a golfing shot as any other, 
and a great deal more of one than most others, and that it tests 
the skill and accuracy of a player as scarcely any other shot m 
the game does. 

The question with many players is what to play these run-up 
shots with. No definite rule is to be laid down, and the circum- 
stances have always to be taken into consideration, while a great 
latitude may be allowed for individual preferences. Almost all 
clubs, from the cleek to the mashie, are used by different players. 



Spalding s Athletic Library. 137 

One might say that such a well-lofted club as the mashie is not 
advisable, inasmuch as in the case of a long run-up the run of 
the ball is too short and undependable when it is employed. A 
fairly straight-faced iron is a most excellent thing, while for my 
own purposes I use a fairly well-lofted approachmg cleek, which 
is weighted just behind the hitting part with a good-sized lump 
of metal, which gives a feeling of solidity to the touch, and 
seems to me to help towards delicacy. 




FIG. 1. ADDRESSING THE BALL. HARRY VAKDON. 



Spalding's Athletic Library. 139 

HARRY VARDON TELLS HOW TO 
PLAY GOLF 

THE DRIVE. 

Cultivate a good style. Style may not be of the greatest im- 
portance which some veterans insist on, but few will deily that a 
good style is a distinct advantage to a man who wishes to be- 
come a good player. 

The beginner having got his clubs, we would advise him in 
commencing the game to go to some good professional and put 
himself in his hands for a couple of hours at a time. See that 
your instructor is built pretty much on the same lines as your- 
self. It seems to me to be absurd for a big, heavy-built man to 
take lessons from a little, slim boy, who can tie himself in a knot 
and swing, and yet come back perfectly steady on his feet just as 
he hits the ball, and expect to do the same yourself with about 100 
pounds more flesh covering your muscles. You will be .told 
that all good drivers and professionals have the same theory in 
driving, and that they merely obtain the same results by putting 
those theories into practice in a dififerent manner, but the fact 
remains that we are naturally imitative and we really arrive at 
some fixed way of standing to address a ball, not by being put 
in a particular position and having our arms raised in a particu- 
lar way, but by observing someone else do what we are trying 
to learn. And it stands to reason that if a man will observe a 
player driving whose build is similar to his own, it will be much 
easier for him to imitate the player and consequently much 
quicker to obtain the desired results. 

As it is not always within the means of all beginners (for 
various reasons) to have the advantage of coaching by a com- 
petent instructor, a few hints given here may not be amiss. 




FIG. 2. FINISH OP SWING. HARRY VARDON. 



Spalding's Athletic Library, 141 

The first thing to engage your attention then, as you stand 
upon the tee ready to begin, is to see that you sole your club 
properly, i. e., allow the club head to rest flat on the ground 
immediately behind the ball. This is called soling the club or 
giving a club its only lie. At the same time see that the face 
or the part of the club intended to strike the ball is held at a 
perfect right angle to the direction in which you intend to play 
for. Having done that, then stand in a perfectly parallel line 
to the intended direction with both feet aligned, care being taken 
to see that you do not have the right foot dragging behind the 
left. This will make of the line of the ball and the position of 
your feet two perfectly parallel lines. ^ 

Now stand perfectly easy, with the feet firmly set upon the 
ground. Don't be tense, but hold yourself as relaxed as you 
possibly can, your main object being to stand in such a way that 
when you swing you will bring your club straight and squarely 
behind the ball in describing the circle, and follow through in the 
direct line for the object aimed at, viz., the hole, with the least 
possible exertion to yourself. Should you on the contrary seek 
to stand with the right foot behind the line of the left one, and 
which by the way is the stance most commonly adopted by be- 
ginners, your follow through will not be as free as it should be, 
the tendency being to press the club through with the right 
hand, and resulting in a slice or a pull, according to how the 
ball is hit, at the same time finishing your stroke with both 
legs crossed — not a very stylish finish by any means, and apt 
to make the player lose his equilibrium. 

Having got some idea of how to stand, and also as to allow- 
ing your club to sole properly, the very next step in order is the 
position of the ball, i. e., where shall it be teed? Of course 
many men have many styles, and while one can see a few players 
tee their ball near the right foot, the vast majority tee very 
nearly opposite the left. And this is the position we would ad- 
vise beginners to adopt as being one of the best. Our reasons 
are these: As the player about to play grasps the club he, as a 
rule, holds it with the left hand on top, the right being under. 




S'IG. 3. STANCE FOR THREE-QUARTER STROKE 
HARRY VARDON 



Spalding' s Athletic Library. 143 

This naturally makes the left arm exactly the width of the hand 
longer than the right one. Consequently in seeking to swing 
the club correctly the head will reach the bottom of the arc in 
describing the circle when it comes in a straight line with the 
longest arm, or left shoulder. As this is purely an arm-and- 
shoulder movement, the left shoulder is thus necessarily the 
axis of the swing. Following this theory out, the beginner will 
then see, as he stands with his feet apart ready to make the 
stroke, that his left shoulder is almost in perfect line, vertically, 
with his left heel, and that if the ball is teed in line with the 
same, the plane of the axis maintained, he must assuredly con- 
nect with the ball at the proper moment. 

The great trouble with most beginners when commencing to 
play is that almost invariably they commit one of two faults. 
One of them is that when lifting the club to the shoulder in 
preparing for the downward sweep they are apt to raise the body 
ever so slightly as they raise the club. The consequence is that 
the ball is topped, if not missed, altogether. The other is the act 
of swaying the body away from the ball, thus again changing the 
plane of the axis, with the result that the head of the club comes 
in contact with Mother Earth many inches behind where the 
ball is teed. Keep then the head and body as steady as you can, 
always remembering that the arms and shoulders will do all that 
is necessary in getting away a good ball. 

Another point to aid the beginner here in judging whether 
he is doing right according to this theory is to see that when he 
is addressing the ball the shoulder, hands and the head of the 
club will be in a perfectly straight line at right angles to the 
direction of the hole. 

Of course there are exceptions to the general rule of teeing 
of the left foot, such as upon getting a hanging lie or when there 
is a dead head wind blowing, but as the beginner is only at the 
tee just yet, we will let this suffice for the present. 

Now we come to the grip. How to hold the club. Grasp the 
club firmly about an inch from the top of the shaft, with the 
fingers of the left hand, being careful to see that the knuckles 




FIG. 4. 



HALF-SHOT, TOP OF SWING 
HARRY VARDON 



Spalding s Athletic Library. 145 

point in the direction of the proposed flight of the ball. Then 
allow the right hand to come as close to the left as possible, but 
holding as loosely as consistent with safety in the fingers of the 
right. This grip, the beginner can see, is that the shaft is al- 
lowed to lie in the second and third joints of the fingers, and 
that the hands are allowed to close over. Never, upon any ac- 
count, grasp the shaft in the palms of the hands, as if you do 
you will lock the joints of the wrists, and they will not be able 
to respond in rythym with the swing of the club. 

Having got these ideas firmly in his mind, the beginner can 
now try and execute the preliminary "waggle." The ideal wag- 
gle consists in a gentle swaying to and fro, once or twice only, 
of the club over the ball and in the same vertical plane as the 
arc which the head of the club ought to describe in the actual 
stroke. Waggle with your wrists only. Let the club head rest 
again for a moment behind the ball before making your upward 
swing (a golfing drive is not a hit ; it is distinctly and absolutely 
a swing), and have your hands well down, about on a level with 
your lowest waist* button. Swing your club back to a horizontal 
position behind the head, never for a second taking your eye 
off the ball, allowing the body to turn gently with its weight 
upon the right foot, raising the left heel slightly off the ground, 
a perfectly natural motion. Keep the head of your club perfectly 
steady and let your upward and downward swing be practically 
one motion. Your body, your arms, in fact your whole frame, 
should, at the moment of striking the ball, be in the same position 
precisely as when you addressed the ball. Let your club head 
•follow the ball in its , flight as far as you possibly can, finishing 
up, if possible, where you commenced, as in Fig. 2. If the begin- 
ner has ever swung Indian clubs, it will be all the easier for him 
to master, as it is practically the same in theory, giving the club 
the impetus and allowing the wrists to carry it through. Two 
lessons with a competent instructor should allow the veriest 
novice to get on to the hang of it. 

The following is an expression of opinion from Vardon, pres- 
ent champion, one of the best drivers in the world, on "driving": 




FIG. 5. STIFF ARM APPROACH, THE ADDRESS 
HARRY VARDON 



Spalding's Athletic Library. 147 

"Many things on which we differ are of little or no impoY- • 
tance, and the various opinions can be experimented on by the 
tyro without running the risk of incurring much hurt, but there 
are other things about which it will be wise for him to find out 
from more experienced players the reasons for and against, and 
then make a choice of what appears to be best, and persevere in 
thinking it so, despite conflicting opinions. While there is no 
reason why any one should not become a good player who fol- 
lows out the advice given by 'Badminton/ there are reasons why 
they cannot follow that advice, though they may try very hard 
to do so. The great drawback to those who would learn to plaj 
golf without having a professional adviser at their side is that 
they cannot see themselves as others see them. Could they do so, 
they would soon become aware of how poorly they are reproduc- 
ing the swing of which they have read, and how certainly they are 
contracting habits which cannot fail to be detrimental to their 
progress. I think, therefore, that every one who is ambitious of 
becoming a golfer will do well at the outset to seek professional 
tuition. A few lessons then would probably be more useful than 
a great many after the faults referred to have been acquired. 
My manner of playing is different from either that of Dunn or 
'Badminton.' To begin with the 'stance :' Instead of having my 
right foot to the rear I keep it some three or four inches in ad- 
vance. This, I think, to be best, for it allows the body to follow 
much more freely after the swing in the direction of the intended 
flight of the ball. The weight of the body I throw mostly on to 
the right foot, not transferring it until the ball is being struck. 
By this means the body remains comparatively still during the 
backward swing, thus adding impetus to the flight of the ball. 
If the weight of the body be thrown mostly on the left leg when 
addressing the ball, during the backward swing, it has to be 
transferred to the right and back again with the downward 
stroke, thereby making, as it seems to me, the aim less steady. 

"The position of the ball is as nearly as possible in the centre 
of the two feet. 

"At the top of the swing my club is as nearly horizontal as pos- 




FIG. 6. STIFF ARM APPROACH, CLUB AT TOP OF SWING 
HARKY VARDON 



Spalding' s Athletic Library, 149 

sible. I grasp as firmly as possible with both hands throughout 
the swing for every shot. I am aware that the general belief is 
contrary to this, especially in the driving, but the fact remains 
that I find it very satisfactory, and there are many good players 
who, I know, are with me on this point. If the right hand be 
held loosely for the previous part of the swing, it surely must 
have a firm grip of the club when it strikes the ball. 

"In gripping my club the left hand is partly hidden, the first 
finger and thumb being firmly locked in the right hand. The 
thumb of the left hand is kept along the shaft, not round it, and 
the little finger of the right hand rides the forefinger of the left. 
In this matter, so far as I know, I stand alone, nor do I venture to 
advise beginners or, in fact, any one else to copy it. 

"As to pressure being put in the down stroke, pressure should 
be used throughout. I fail to see how one could come gently to 
within one foot and a half of the ball and at the last moment put 
in the necessary strength. Immediately at the descent of the club 
pressure should be put on, adding to its velocity until it comes in 
contact with the ball. The result in this case should, neither be 
so strained nor likely to render the aim ineffective, as if it were 
made just when the club is nearing the ball. 

"A very simple method of finding out whether your club is in 
its proper position at the top of the swing, and that the left wrist 
is down, is to glance over your left shoulder and look at the club 
head. If the name is facing you, your left wrist is wrong, and 
when the club head strikes the ball it will be at an angle and the 
result a 'pulled' ball. If the left wrist is down, as it ought to be, 
the face of the club will be facing you and not the name." 

APPROACHING. 

An approach shot may be any shot not a full one intended to 
find the ball on the green, and is generally an iron shot. The 
great failing of most approach shots is that they fall too short. 
For every six shots played, five out of the six are not up ; there- 
fore, in selecting your club, when in doubt select the longer driv- 




FIG. 7. STIFF ARM APPROACH, CLUB AT FINISH OF 
SWING. HARRY VARDON 



Spalding's Athletic Library. 151 

ing one, as no accident is likely to increase the distance of your 
drive, and there are many to curtail it. 

Always run a ball in preference to pitching it, unless there is 
some special reason which necessitates pitching. 

APPROACH SHOTS. 

Approach shots differ from one another: 

(a) In point of distance. 

(&) In point of elevation. 

(c) In point of style. 

And include: 

(fl) I. Three-quarter shots; 2. Half shots; 3. Stiff arm ap- 
proach shots. 

ib) I. Running the ball up along the ground. 2. Lofting the 
ball with run; 3. Lofting so as to pitch dead. 

(c) Includes (i) ball played with a straightforward stroke 
(club head moving in the line of flight of ball). 

THE THREE-QUARTER STROKE. 

The necessity for this stroke has almost entirely disappeared, 
owing to the fact that irons have been made with almost every 
kind of a pitch, and a man can now select a club and make a full 
swing with it and achieve the same results as would have been 
obtained by using one of the old spoons or irons which were 
all formerly made with a recognized amount of loft on each. 
It is so much easier to make a full swing than a ^three-quarter 
one that it is always better to use a shorter carrying club when 
the distance to the green requires a three-quarter stroke, if one 
of the long driving clubs is to be used. 

HALF SHOTS. 

The position of the ball and stance for playing half shots is 
somewhat, though not materially, different from that in Fig. 
No. I. The ball is nearer the player's body, and nearer also to 




FIG. 8. PUTTING. HARRY VARDON 



Spalding's Athletic Library. 153 

the line of the right foot. The right foot is also further ad- 
vanced. Fig. 4 shows the top of the swing. It need hardly be 
pointed out that as the club is not swung far around, the shoul- 
ders and the body do not move as much as in playing a full stroke. 
The shoulders must move round and the body must be easier. 
The left foot will be just raised of the heel and nothing more, 
the left leg flexed to ease the swing. It may, in fact, be said that 
the feet should not, if possible, be moved at all. 

The elbow of the right arm should be kept in to the body, and 
not allowed to rise, but all the same the arms will be thrown out 
just as in playing full strokes. The follow-through will take 
place at the end of the swing, but instead of throwing the club 
and arms after the ball, they will rise quicker, and continue up- 
wards over the left shoulder more than in the direction of the 
flight of the ball. 

STIFF ARM APPROACH SHOTS. 

Of stiff arm approach strokes there is an infinite variety of 
gradation — anything less than a half stroke falls under this defini- 
tion. No further remarks on this subject require to be made, 
save that the ball should be nearer the player, and the feet closer 
together. Fig. 5 shows the position of the feet as the player ad- 
dresses the ball; Fig. 6 shows the top, of the swing. It will be 
observed that both legs are slightly more bent at the knees than 
is the case in playing a full shot, and that the body moves very 
little. I would only add : Stand firmly, and do not move the feet 
at all; keep the right elbow well into the side, and play from 
stiff wrists, giving the ball a quick, sharp hit. 

In all these strokes the club must.be held firmly with both 
hands, to give more command over it and to prevent its turning. 
It will be found of material assistance if the club is grasped 
further down the shaft ; and the shorter the distance of the stroke 
to be played, the shorter a grip of the club may be taken. 

In standing according to the directions above given, it will be 
found that while the weight of the body is supported on both 



154 Spalding's Athletic Library. 

legs, the right really gives the greater amoiint of support. This 
can be easily tested by trying to lift either foot off the ground. 
For the above reason, this mode of playing approaches has been 
termed "off the right leg," and it is the method most usually 
adopted. Fig. 7 shows finish of stroke. 

PUTTING. 

Putting can be divided into two heads: 

1. Approach putting. 

2. Putting out, or holing the ball. 

The greatest stress must be laid on the fact that you must 
keep your eye on the ball and don't glance at the hole just as you 
"put." Play your stroke "off the right leg," the ball just in 
front of your right foot, which is a little forward. Hold the 
putter with equal grip of both hands, and remember that the 
head of your club must follow your ball in a straight line to the 
hole. 

There are four golden axioms which should always be ob- 
served : 

1. Never take your eye off the ball. 

2. Do not aim too long. 

3. Be up, for you can never hole out unless you go as far a£ 
the hole. 

4. Treat the course as if you loved it — replace divots. 



Spalding's Athletic Library. 155 



"THE IDEAL COURSE" 

Harry Vardon says that in each eighteen-hole course he thinks 
there should be three short holes, and possibly a fourth one of 
a little over 200 yards in length which would be more than a 
drive in an unfavorable wind. 

The remainder of the course should, as far as possible, be 
made up of holes varying in length between 370 and 530 yards. 
Holes of between 230 and 330 yards are not good holes in 
Vardon's opinion, since the man who drove well might not gain 
any advantage over the man who drove badly. All holes except 
the short ones should be either two-shotters or three-shotters — 
that is to say, they should need either two or three full shots to 
reach the green. 

Mr. H. H. Hilton says that in his ideal course he would 
include the following holes : 

Three short holes of not more than 200 yards. 

Three drive-and-pitch holes. 

Eight two-shot holes of from 380 to 430 yards. 

Four long holes of not less than 470 yards. 

An "ideal golf course" with holes modeled as far as possible 
on classic examples is being made in the United States, 200 
acres of land having been taken for the purpose in Peconic 
Bay. It is being made, ''regardless of expense," by the National 
Golf Club, which has been established for the purpose. 

Mr. Charles B. Macdonald is the chief designer, and at the 
outset his views as to what constituted the ideal course were 
as follows : 

Two short holes for iron shots, 130 to 160 yards. 

Two 500-yard holes. 

Two drive-and-pitch holes, 300 to 320 yards. 

Eight two-shot holes, 350 to 470 yards. 

Four long one-shot holes varying from 190 to 250 yards, 
according to the contour of the ground, the longer holes having 
the fair green falling toward the putting green. 



156 Spalding's Athletic Library, 

Eventually, after making a close study of holes everywhere, 
Mr. Macdonald chose the following as his examples : — 

1. 370 yards. Like the bottle (?) hole at Sunningdale, placing 
deep graduated bunkers in place of ditch, and bunker the green 
properly. 

2. 340 yards. Composite first shot of the 14th on Perfection 
at North Berwick, with green and bunker guard like the 15th 
at Muirfield. 

3. 320 yards. Like the 3d at St. Andrews. 

4. 187 yards. Like the Redan at North Berwick. 

5. 510 yards. Suggested by the i6th at Littlestone. 

6. 400 yards. Like the 4th at Sandwich. 

7. 130 yards. Like the 5th at Brancaster with the tee raised 
so that the players can see where the pin enters the hole. 

8. 420 yards. Like the 9th at Leven. 

9- 350 yards. Like the gth at Brancaster. 

10. 240 yards. Like the 3d on Sahara at Sandwich, making 
carry full 175 yards direct, then a fair run to green with alterna- 
tive to play around. 

11. 450 yards. Similar to 17th at St. Andrews, making very 
bad hazard instead of out of bounds, and while keeping the 
green same size as at present would alter fall of plateau ap- 
proaching. 

12. 160 yards. Resembling nth at St. Andrews. 

13. 400 yards. Like the 3d at Prestwick. 

14. 490 yards. Like 14th at St. Andrews, making gi-een 
larger and run up less fiuky. 

15. 210 yards. Suggested by 12th at Biarritz, making sharp 
hog-back in middle of course. 

16. 300 yards. Suggested by 7th at Leven, which is only 240 
yards, with burn running at a bias, and green guarded by sharp 
hillocks. 

17. 380 yards. Like the 17th on Alps, Prestwick. 

18. 360 yards. Resembling the 8th on the new course at St. 
Andrews, which is now too long for the bunkering. 

Total length, 6,017 yards. 



Spalding's Athletic Library, 157 



THE TRIUMVIRATE 

It is very seldom in the history of any sport that three such 
perfect champions as are Harry Vardon, James Braid, and J. H. 
Taylor in golf, should be contemporaries and of about the same 
age. These three, commonly called "the triumvirate," have had 
such a monopoly of the Open Championship during the past few 
years as it is highly probable no three will ever have again. 

Taylor was the first to make himself prominent, winning the 
Open Championship in 1894 and 1895. Although Braid was in 
the tenth place in 1894 he was not a competitor in 1895, and 
therefore comparative statistics can only date from the following 
year, since when all three have regularly competed. From that 
year to the present the placings of the triumvirate in the premier 
event have been as follows : 

Year. Vardon. Taylor. Braid. 

1896 I 2 6 

1897 6 10 2 

1898 ' I 4 II 

1899 I 4 5 

1900 2 I 3 

1901 2 3 I 

1902 2 6 2 

1903. ••• I 9 5 

1904 5 2 2 

1905 9 2 I 

1906 3 2 I 

In 1896 Vardon and Taylor tied for first place, but Vardon 
won on playmg off. In 1902 there was a tie between Vardon 
and Braid for second place, and in 1904 there was a tie for 
second place between Taylor and Braid. 

If each man's placings in the above table are added up the 
following result for the eleven championships is given : 

Harry Vardon ZZ 

James Braid 39 

J. H. Taylor 45 



158 Spalding' s Athletic Library. 

It is, however, to be particularly noted that* this is not 
giving Taylor any benefit from his two victories in the years 
before the triumvirate was definitely brought into line. In 
1894 Vardon was fifth, and in 1895 l^e was ninth. In 1894 
Braid was tenth. If you gave him a maximum i for a tie with 
Taylor in the year he did not compete it would work out that on 
the thirteen years Vardon and Taylor were level, and Braid three 
points behind. 

For the eleven years the stroke scores of the triumvirate in the 
Open Championship have been as follows : 

Year. Vardon. Taylor. Braid. 

1896 316 316 Z^Z 

1897 320 330 315 

1898 307 312 322 

1899 310 320 322 

1900 317 309 322 

1901 312 313 309 

1902 308 314 308 

1903 300 316 310 

1904 302 297 297 

1905 329 2>^2> 318 

1906 305 304 300 

Total 3,426 3,454 3,446 

Thus the eleven years' championship comes out as follows : 

Harry Vardon 3,426 

James Braid 3.446 

J. H. Taylor 3,454 

It will be perceived that in forty-four championship rounds 
played, spread over this period of eleven years, there is only a 
difference of twenty-eight strokes between the first man and the 
third, and only eight strokes between the second and third. 

Three times the triumvirate have occupied the top three places, 
and that their power is not on the wane was evinced by the fact 
that after an eleven years' reign they took the first, second and 
third places for themselves in the Open Championship at Muir- 
field in 1906. 



Spalding' s Athletic Library. 



What to Use for Golf 

Spalding claims the credit for a good part of the popularity 
that the game of golf has met with in the United States, mainly 
on account of the fact that, from the time of the introduction 
of golf into this country, they have consistently endeavored to 
improve the implements of play, working carefully over the 
clubs, balls and everything else required by the golf player. 
Their unequaled facilities, in the first place, have enabled them 
to work on their golf line to better advantage than other manu- 
facturers, and to this is added their previous experience in 
catering to the requirements of athletes. With Spalding there 
is an experience of thirty years in manufacturing and sup- 
plying athletic equipment, which enables them to bring to the 
solution of the problem of making up a new article of athletic 
equipment the best facilities that a manufacturer could have — 
experience, knowledge, and capability. All of these have helped 
Spalding to turn out what is universally recognized — that is, 
not only in the United States, but also abroad, because Spalding 
golf goods are used now in the British Isles and on the Conti- 
nent almost as generally as they are in the United States — 
as the most perfect line of golf goods manufactured anywhere. 

To start with, the Spalding Gold Medal line of Drivers and 
Brassies are the gradual evolution from the original Spalding 
clubs that they made up, at the start, after ideas given them 
by prominent golf players. These original Spalding cluhs 
have been improved each season. The material has been 
more carefully selected as time went on, until to-day in the 
Gold Medal line the golf player has furnished him clubs that 
are as nearly perfect in workmanship and material as it is 
possible to turn out an article of this character. The heads 
are of the finest dogwood and persimmon. The shafts are all 
second-growth split hickory, and particular attention has been 
given to the spring and balance of the club; the grips are of 
finest calfskin, or, if preferred, Spalding will furnish grips made 
of their new, patent material, rubber style, but not of rubber, 
which provides a rough grip that is pleasing to the feel and 
gives a safe grip to the player. The Spalding Gold Medal 
Clubs are superbly finished throughout. The price of the 
Drivers and Brassies is $2.50 each. 



Spalding s Athletic Library. 

In the Spalding line of Gold Medal Irons are included models 
that have been taken from the playing clubs of some of the 
best golfers in the world. Spalding has duplicated these play- 
ing clubs, which represent the ideas of the most prominent 
golf players in the world to-day, and these are included in the 
Spalding regular line of Gold Medal Golf Irons. They also 




SPALDING GOLD MEDAL DRIVERS AND BRASSIES. 



agree if a player prefers some other model different from any- 
thing that they have in their line to copy it exactly, as they 
can do this to the best advantage, owing to their unequaled 
facilities, and the price for copying such a special iron club 
will be the same as for the regular stock article, for, as a matter 
of fact, all of these Gold Medal Irons are really special clubs, 



Spalding' s Athletic Library, 



being hand-hammered from the finest mild steel. In these 
Gold Medal Irons the shafts are of the best second-growth 
split hickory, and the grips are of finest calfskin or of the new 
rubber style roughened grip, of the special patented material 




Model A— Mashie 



Model K — Driving Mashie 
The price of any of the Gold Medal 



which Spalding controls 
Irons is $2 each. 

In answer to calls for a satisfactory style of wood putter, 
Spalding is turning out two different styles made of wood 



Spalding' s Athletic Library. 

heavily weighted with lead. These are known as models 
A and R. Model A has a narrow head, and model R has a 
convex sole. Both of these putters have, attached to the face 
of the head and covering the face entirely, a scored brass plate. 
The shaft is placed directly behind point of impact, the balance 
is perfect, and the clubs certainly feel just right. Be?*, quality 
tan calfskin roughened grips furnished on these clubs. The 
price of the Gold Medal Wood Putters, Model<^, A and R, is $2.50 
each. 

A very satisfactory style of juvenile golf club is furnished 
by Spalding, with every advantage of proportionate size, making 
a perfect club for the use o^-. boyf> and girls up to fourteen years 
of age. These are furni<ned by Spalding in drivers, brassies, 
cleeks, lofters, and putters, an j the price for any of these styles 
in the juvenile clubs is $1 .^ach. 

The merits and points of superiority of aluminum clubs have 
been attested by many of the most prominent players in this 
country. Spalding includes in their line styles of aluminum 
clubs that are recognized as standard. These are models of 
drivers, brassies, cleeks, lofters, mashies, and the mid irons. 
The price of any of these models is $2 each. In the aluminum 
clubs Spalding also furnishes what is known as the Hammer- 
Headed Putter for $2.50 each, and what is known as the Model 
C Putter for $2.50 each. 

A style of club that worked its way into popularity on account 
of its really good qualities is what is known as the Spalding 
Hollow Steel Faced Golf Club, patented by Spalding and manu- 
factured by them. They rivet a piece of one-sixteenth inch 
highly tempered steel on a hollow head, and in this way this 
club gives the player spring and resistance combined at the 
point where they are required in a satisfactory golf club. This 
style of hollow steel club is furnished in cleek, lofting mashie, 
mid iron, and putter, and is equipped with the finest sheepskin 
roughened grips. The price for the hollow Steel Faced Club 
is $2.50 each. 

For those who want a club for all-around use, and do not 
wish to purchase the best grade, Spalding supplies their Cres- 
cent Clubs for $1.50 each, in either drivers or brassies in the 
wood clubs, or in iron in cleeks, mashies, niblics, mid irons, 
driving irons, lofters and putters. The price of the Crescent 
Clubs, wood or iron, is $1.50 each. 

About Golf Balls. — When it comes to tell the history of golf- 
ball making, so far as concerns the United States, the future 
historian will have to give a pretty large place to the work 
that has been done by A. G. Spalding & Bros, in turning out 
golf balls that are really right. The expense and the trouble 



^ Spalding' 5 Athletic Library. 

that they have gone to in their endeavor to work up a ball for 
the player that would be recognize^d as the finest on the mar- 
ket is wonderful, and, as a rnatter of fact, would have been out 
of the reach of any other manufacturer not possessing the un- 
equaled facilities that the Spalding concern has, owing to their 
thirty years' experience in turning out athletic equipment of 
every description. Many golf players do not realize just what 
has been done for them in turning out a satisfactory style of 
ball. All gutta-percha used in golf balls comes from the Malay 
Peninsula. Money, as is well known, will buy almost any- 
thing, and Spalding, in their endeavor to secure the most sat- 
isfactory grade of gutta-percha, bought the co-operation and 
the services of the greatest gutta-percha agent in the old coun- 
try to buy their crude gutta-percha for them. They gave a 
carte blanche order to a firm in England to buy for them all of 
the latest machinery used in cleaning gutta-percha for the manu- 
facture of golf balls, and they paid a man to come and set it 
up and see that all details of manufacture were properly at- 
tended to. That is what has made it possible for A. G. Spalding 
& Bros, to turn out what was known throughout this country 
as the most satisfactory style of solid golf ball, the Vardon 
Flyer, which was used by Henry Vardon during his American 
tour. Vardon claimed that this ball gave him a longer and 
truer flight than he could obtain with any other style. And it 
is a fact that the majority of American players used the Var- 
don ball, to the great improvement of their game. 

When they recognized that something else was required in 
a golf ball further than solid gutta-percha, Spalding set about 
using the ideas that they had worked up in manufacturing 
golf balls, polo balls, and other balls with a wound center, to 
produce a really satisfactory golf ball with a core, and, finally 
working out this end of the manufacturing problem, they have 
put out three styles of rubber-cored golf balls which are rec- 
ognized as the very finest ever made for golf playing. In the 
rubber-cored golf ball the feature that is worked upon is the 
fact that gutta-percha is the most satisfactory material for a 
perfect cover, and rubber elastic under the highest possible 
tension is the most satisfactory material for winding material 
beneath the gutta-percha cover in order to give the greatest 
life to the ball. The elastic winding under the highest pos- 
sible tension is what produces the resiliency of the rubber-cored 
golf ball, and the cover of gutta-percha is merely used as a pro- 
tector to the elastic against the blow of the club. 

The Spalding Glory Golf Ball (Red, White, and Blue Dot) 
is the latest thing put out by Spalding is the way of a golf ball, 
and they claim that it is really a perfect ball. They make the 



Spalding s Athletic Library. 

?ithe^haf,:ith a™y hole of greafpecun.ary gain, font repre- 
sents to them an initial expenbC 
that is very considerable, and, in 
carrying out their promise to golf 
r,lavers to furnish the best ball 
possible to produce, they have 
had to purchase at a great ex- 
pense the absolute control of the 
most expensive material ever used 
in a golf ball, and they will be 
compelled to retain at their factory 
the expert ball makers whose skili 
have made the Spalding Glory 
Golf Ball possible. The pnce of 
the Spalding Glory Golf Ball is 
$0 oo per dozen. Spalding men- 
tions that they have purchased 
for this Glory Golf Ball the most 
expensive material ever used ma 
golf ball, and perhaps a few words 
in explanation of this statement 
may not be out of place. Gutta- 
percha, as mentioned previously, 
comes from the Malay Peninsula 
The milk, or juice, is shipped 
down to the coast full of dirt ot 
all descriptions. It is there boiled 

and compressed and adulterated 
with sawdust and other impurities. 

When cutting down the trees, as 

is generally done, they cut through 

the bark to reach the lactiferous 

vessels which contain the milk, or 

iuice, releasing other vessels coa 

taining Tannic and Gallic acid, and 

which are extremely detrimental 

to the pure gum, and which, of 

course, mixes with the gutta- 
percha juice. The ordinary 

gutta-percha is of a dark red 

color, but when quite pure is 

the color of milk. Spaldmg, in 

their endeavor to arrive at the 

most perfect material out of 




Spalding's Athletic Library, 

whfch to manufacture the cover of their three grades of rubber- 
cored golf balls, at enormous expense secured the absolute 
control of a most costly process for treating the crude gutta- 
percha, and in working this out they take the whole mass of 
gutta and subject it to this process, which extracts all Tannic 
and Gallic acids and impurities of all descriptions, leaving 
nothing but the pure gum in its natural milk-white color, the 
finest and most resilient substance on earth. After coming 
ou'c of the various numerical stages to which the crude gutta 
is subjected, Spalding gets about 60 per cent, pure white gum 
and about 40 per cent, of every imaginable useless substance 
which the gutta formerly contained. Common sense will tell 
any man that a golf ball manufactured with an outer shell 
of perfectly pure white gum must be finer and better than the 
same shell with all the impurities left in it, and must, when 
played with, last longer. Therefore, for reasons which are 
absolutely irrefutable, Spalding claims that the Spalding White 
Golf Ball (Red Dot), with cover made of purified white gutta, 
is really the most perfect ball, next to the Spalding Glory 
Ball, which also has the purified white cover. The price of the 
Spalding White Golf Ball (Red Dot) is $6 per dozen, and is 
without doubt the most widely played ball ever made. 

An old favorite in the Spalding line, improved each season, 
and now better than ever — even better than during the season 
of 1903 — the Spalding Wizard Golf Ball, with cover made of 
best quality gutta, is played with by many of the greatest 
players of the world. Many have used it year in and year out, 
to their own satisfaction and to the benefit, most certainly, of 
their play. The Spalding Wizard Golf Ball (Blue Dot) costs 
$6 per doz^n. 

Spalding remakes golf balls, both solid gutta and rubber- 
cored, anr"! in remaking the rubber-cored golf balls they are re- 
covered f Iitirely, not merely remolded, and fresh elastic is 
added to 'Jake the place of the small quantity immediately un- 
der the rover which deteriorates during its life as a new ball. 
The price,- of the Spalding White Remade Golf Balls purchased 
outright is $4 per dozen; the price of the Spalding Wizard 
Remade Golf Balls purchased outright is $4 per dozen, and for 
remaking either of these balls, where old balls are furnished, the 
price is $2.50 per dozen. Remade solid gutta golf balls cost 
$2.50 per dozen purchased outright; and Spalding will remake 
any standard grade of solid gutta golf ball, where old balls are 
furnished for $1 per dozen. 

Spaldir.g Caddy Bags are well made. They use in their can- 
vas bag>' the heaviest and best grade of duck suitable for the 
purpose, 'md in their leather bags they use solid leather, and 



Spalding's Athletic Library. 



not thin strips glued together. The handles on all of their 
bags are made to conform to a man's grip, and are ^'uaranteed 
not to break at the bend. All the bottoms are s* idded and 
double-sewn on special, patented machines. The *ill line of 
Spalding Caddy Bags, the most complete line maa ; anywhere 
and comprising styles of every possible descriptioK. are noted 
in brief below, with prices of each style specified. In the all- 
leather bags, full size, the following are furnished by Spalding: 
No. L3^. Grain leather bag, good quality, brass trim- 
mings, and leather bottom Price, $5 oo 

No. L6. Small stiff tan leather bag, snap sling and 
brass trimmings throughout. Long ball pocket, 
opening top and bottom Price, 5 00 




No. L6. No. PG. No. L5. 



No. L4. No. L3 1-2. No. CXL. No. E. No. WB. 



No. L4. Imported foot ball leathef bag, brass trim- 
mings, leather bottom, and one of the most durable 
bags made Price, 

No. PG. Genuine pigskin bag, heavy brass harness 
buckle on shoulder strap, brass studs and trim- 
mings, leather bottom Price, 

No. L5. Stiff leather, best quality bag, ball pocket, and 
sling to match, brass trimmings, leather bottom. 

Price, 

No. L5H. Same style as No. L5, but with lock and re- 
movable hood for covering clubs while traveling. 
This caddy bag will be accepted by railroads as 
baggage Price, 



6 00 



6 00 



9 00 



Spalding' s Athletic Library, 

In the full-size canvas bags Spalding furnishes the following 

s-tyles : 

No. E. Extra heavy brown canvas bag with hood, 
leather trimmings, leather top and bottom, and extra 
large ball pocket. This bag measures yf inches in 
diameter, and has a removable hood, and when fast- 
ened with the encircling strap with the patent buckle 
lock will be accepted by railroads as baggage. .Price, $6 oo 

No. WB. White duck bag, two sizes, 7 inches and 8 
inches in diameter, extra heavy solid leather shoulder 
strap, with patent buckle lock and leather trimmings; 
reinforced heavy leather bottom. ; waterproof hood to 
fasten with strap, and staples inside over clubs.. Price, 7 00 

No. WBR. Made with heavy leather reinforcing strips 
running lengthwise, otherwise similar to No. WB. 

Price, 8 00 

No. B. Like No. WB, but made of brown canvas.. Price, 7 00 

No. BR. Made with heavy leather reinforcing strips 

running lengthwise, otherwise similar to No. B.. Price, 8 00 

No. A2. Heavy tan canvas bag, 6 inches in diameter, 
leather trimmings; leather reinforced strips running 
lengthwise; sole-leather bottom, ball pocket, and 
sling Price, 4 00 

No. ex. Light tan-colored canvas, leather bottom, ball 

pocket, sling to match Price, 2 50 

No. CXL. Same style as No. CX, excepting that it is 

made larger throughout ; studs on bottom .... Price, 3 00 

No. C3. Heavy brown canvas, leather trimmings; rein- 
forced canvas bottom; ball pocket and sling to 
match Price, i 7 5 

No. C2. Brown canvas, leather trimmings, canvas-cov- 
ered wood bottom; ball pocket and sling Price, i 00 

Spalding furnishes the following special styles of caddy bags 

for women : 

No. WL3. Fine bridle leather, ball pocket and sling, 
brass trimmings; an exceedingly fine-looking and 
serviceable bag Price, $5 00 

No. WL3J. Grain leather bag, good quality, brass trim- 
mings, and leather bottom Price, 5 00 

Spalding also furnishes a special style for children, known as 

No. 10, made of brown canvas, leather trimmings, ball pocket 

and sling, canvas-covered wood bottom; price, $1. 

In the line of Golf Sundries listed by Spalding in their special 

Golf Catalogue, a copy of which should be in the hands of every 

golf player, will be found a number of very useful articles for 



Spalding's Athletic Library. 

the ordinary golf player as well as for the expert. Spalding 
furnishes a very satisfactory line of Golfing Gloves. These are: 

No. Gi. Made of best quality soft white chamois, open 
knuckles, perforated back and palm. A very superior glove. 
Price, $2.25 per pair. 

No. G2. Fine soft tanned chamois, open knuckles, per- 
forated back and palm. Price, $1.75 per pair. 

No. G2L. Same quality as No. G2, but for left hand only, 
with reinforced leather palm. Price, $1 each. 

No. G3. Fingerless glove, palms reinforced, perforated backs. 
Price, $1 per pair. 

No. G4. Fingerless glove, for left hand only. Price, 50 cents 
each. 

A very useful article for golf players is what is known as the 
Seccomb Grip Winder, made of rubber fabric, and can be put 
on over regular grip. The roughened surface makes an ideal 
grip for all kinds of weather. This grip is known as the No. S, 
and the price is 15 cents each. A preparation that is also very 
useful is what is known as Sure Grip. This will not soil the 
hands, and its application insures a firm grip at all times. The 
price of this preparation is 25 cents per box. Players who 
have had some experience realize the necessity for something — 
either in the way of hobnails, disks or studs of some character 
— on the soles of their shoes when playing. Spalding furnishes 
everything of this kind needed. A very satisfactory style of 
Rubber Disk is their No. 9. With these disks it is possible for 
a player to go into the club house right from the golfing course, 
which is not so in many cases where ordinary hobnails are 
worn on shoes. The price of the No. 9 disks is 5 cents each, 
A very satisfactory style of Golf Stud is what is known as 
Way's style, made of highly tempered steel, screwed to sole 
and heel. This style of stud always insures a firm footing. 
The price is 10 cents each, or for a set of 12 complete, 75 cents. 
Hobnails cost for iron 10 cents per dozen, and for aluminum, 
15 cents per dozen. Many golf players like to use a rubber 
grip, and for these Spalding furnishes a very satisfactory style 
in their No. 6, made with corrugated surface of purest Para 
rubber. It will fit any golf club, and insures a firm and perfect 
grip. The price of this No. 6 Rubber Grip is 50 cents each. 
Golf players like to occasionally repaint the golf balls they are 
using, and Spalding furnishes a most satisfactory grade of 
glossy golf paint. It is the same as is used exclusively by the 
leading makers in the United States and Great Britain, and 
A. G. Spalding & Bros, are the sole agents for the United States. 
The price of this Griffith Glossy Golf Paint, No. 11, is 50 cents 
per can. Another preparation, known as Golf White, also an- 
swers the same purpose as paint, but it dries instantly, and wiM 



Spalding's Athletic Library. 

not chip, crack, or wear off. This is furnished in either white 
or red, and the price for the No. 8 Golf White is 15 cents per 
bottle. If the ball is cleaned occasionally it materially lessens 
the chance of losing it, and in the form of a tobacco pouch Spal- 
ding furnishes two styles of ball cleaners. Their No. 2 5 is made 
with a rubber pouch, enclosing a sponge, into which a little 
water can be introduced, making an exceedingly satisfactory 
style of ball cleaner, and making it unnecessary to handle the 
ball itself until it is thoroughly cleaned. The price of this No. 
25 Ball Cleaner is 25 cents each. The No. 27 Style Ball Cleaner 
is also made with a rubber pouch, enclosing a sponge and a cir- 
cular bristle brush. This style of cleaner is very effective in- 
deed. The price is 35 cents each for the No. '27. Another 
very necessary article for the golf player is a club polisher. 
This is furnished by Spalding, and is known as Kaddy Polish 
No. 1040. The price of the No. 1040 Kaddy Polish is 10 cents 
each. Spalding also furnishes an Emery Cloth Cleaner, con- 
sisting of a book of fifteen sheets of emery cloth, very effective 
for cleaning clubs. The price of this Emery Cloth Cleaner No. 
E is 20 cents each. 

Another very necessary article is a satisfactory style of tee. 
Spalding supplies two different styles, and their Anchor Tee, 
which, it is claimed, cannot be lost, is held on the teeing ground 
by the anchor, and can only move the length of the string, 
which is about 9 inches. The anchor is put to the left and front 
of the tee. The price of the No. 5 Anchor Golf Tee is 15 cents 
each. The ordinary rubber golf tee, regulation style, made 
of red rubber, is known as Spalding No. 3, and costs 5 cents 
each. They also furnish score sheets for large match and medal 
play. The price of these Score Sheets, No, L, is 15 cents each. 
Score books with leather case cost 50 cents each. A style of 
counter that has rapidly achieved popularity with golf players 
is what is known as the Liberty Golf Counter. The cover to 
which the celluloid counters are attached is pliable, and provides 
for easy and quick turning of disks. No pencil is required with 
this counter except for transferring the score from the counters 
to the record, and provision is also made for a permanent or 
yearly record. The ladies' styles furnished in the Liberty 
Counter are made for the belt in such a way as not to require 
detaching in keeping the score while playing. This Liberty Golf 
Counter is furnished in the following styles by Spalding: 

Ladies' genuine pigskin Price, $1 50 each 

Ladies' black seal grain Price, i 00 

Gents' genuine pigskin Price, i 00 

Gents' black seal grain Price, 75 

Gents' tablet counters, Price, 50 

Renewable fillers for the above counters Price, 1 5 



No. 


2. 


No. 


!■;. 


No. 


2";. 


No. 


26. 


No. 


50- 



Spalding' s Athletic Library, 

In the way of supplies for golf courses Spalding has the most 
complete line manufactured anywhere. Their marking disks 
are used on every prominent course in the United States. They 
furnish the following styles, all made of heavy tin, painted 
red and white, and numbered from i to i8, to designate the num- 
ber of hole. The iron shaft is strongly attached to disk and 
is about four feet long. The following are the styles furnished 
in the marking discs: 

No. 3. Heart shape $0 60 each 

No. 4. Oblong shape 60 each 

No. 5. Pear shape, hollow i 50 each 

No. 6. Windmill, four flanges ... i 00 each 

Spalding also furnishes a very satisfactory style of marking 
disk known as their No. 7. This is circular, complete with 
a red flag, and the price is $1 each. Another necessary article 
for the golf course is a hole cutter. The style furnished by 
Spalding is made of steel, and the earth is ejected when with- 
drawn from hole. It is very simple and efficient, and is made 
of the best quality steel. The price of this No. 10 Steel Hole 
Cutter is $3 each. Golf-hole rims, while they appear very 
simple, are made in different styles, and there is all the differ- 
ence in these that there is between anything else which is made 
right as compared with something that is not made right. 
The Spalding simple iron hole rim is known as their No. 20, 
and is fitted with a crosspiece, which prevents the ball from 
falling to the bottom of the hole. This is a very effective 
arrangement, especially during wet weather, as it prevents the 
ball from getting soiled. The price of this No. 20 Hole Rim 
is 40 cents each. The patented style of hole rim furnished by 
Spalding is known as the Midlothian, and they claiin that it is 
the best hole rim ever made. This is a solid iron casting in one 
piece, solid enough to prevent the hole from being racked by 
the weight of the hole disc or flag, which is always kept in an 
upright position by the neck below the cup. This style of rim 
should be seen to be appreciated. It is known as the Spalding 
No. 25, and costs $1 each. 

Direction and marking flags are furnished by Spalding in 
red, white, red and white, blue and white, or any other combi- 
nation of colors. The price of their No. 9 Oblong Flag is 40 
cents each, and for their No. 11 Flag, triangle shape, 40 cents 
each. Marking flags, red out, numbered from i to 9, white 
in, numbered 10 to 18, cost for No. 2 style, flags only, numbered, 
as ordered, 50 cents each, and for the No. 5 spear-head staffs, 
7 feet long, 50 cents each. Metal badges for caddies, each badge 
numbered and with safety pin on back to fasten to cap or breast, 



Spalding's Athletic Library, 

cost 35 cents each. Putting disks, the object of which is to 
train the eye in putting and an article that should be on the 
clubhouse putting green, while they are also useful for indoor 
practise, cost 25 cents each. Teeing plates, round shape, 
made to lie flush with the ground, and used to mark the space 
within the limits of which the ball must be teed, cost for the 
No, 8 style 50 cents per pair. A very excellent article for 
practice in driving is what is known as Parachute Golf Ball, 
furnished by Spalding, with the parachute attached to the 
ball. It prevents the ball from traveling very far, no matter 
how hard hit. The price of the Parachute Golf Ball is 75 cents 
each. Another very excellent article for golf practice is the 
game of Golfette, This is not really a game, but is a device 
consisting of a series of nets into which the golf ball is lofted. 
The object of it is to loft the ball into the center net; in other 
words, to secure accuracy in lofting. For the purpose of keep- 
ing score the following count is made. The inner net counts 
3, the center net 2, and the outer net i point. A distance of 
from 15 to 25 feet from net is proper when using this Golfette 
and, of course, the regular golf clubs and ball are used. The 
price of this No. 13 Golfette is $5 each. 

It is hardly necessary to describe the game of Clock Golf, 
but it might be stated that this is an excellent device for prac- 
tice in putting. Spalding furnishes two different styles. The 
figures are arranged in a circle from 20 to 24 feet in diameter, 
or of any size the lawn will admit. Each player holes out 
from each figure point, counting his strokes, and, with a few 
exceptions, the regular rules on putting apply. Sets consist 
of 12 figures, one marking flag, hole rim, and measuring chain 
for getting the proper distance for setting the figures. Spalding 
furnishes the set complete in boxes with descriptive circular 
in their No. i style, with raised figures in black on white teeing 
plates, for $10 per set, and in their No. 2 style, with plain, 
cut-out figures, painted white but not on plates, for $5 per set. 



Spalding's Athletic Library. 



What to Wear for Golf 

Take a golf player, a man who really plays for the love of 
the game, and you find some one who is a real sport. He loves 
the game for the benefit it is to him as a relaxation and for the 
amount of exercise it gives him. Such a man when he is play- 
ing wants to be comfortable, and it will not do for him to simply 
have a makeshift outfit, wearing, perhaps, his cast-off street 
clothes; but instead he should dress for the game, and there 




is no more certain means of obtaining proper clothing for golf 
and for any other athletic sport than by going to a Spalding 
store and letting them furnish the outfit. 

A sweater has come to be recognized as one of the necessary 
articles in the golfing outfit. It lends itself to the ease that 
one requires in the upper part of the body when playing golf; 
it looks well under trying circumstances, bad weather, etc. — 



Spalding's Athletic Library. 

that is, when it is made by Spalding — and is always comfort- 
able. Spalding furnishes a number of grades in satisfactory 
golfing sweaters. The No. VG Jacket Sweater, vest shape, is 
a very popular style. It is made of best quality worsted, 
heavy weight, with pearl buttons, and is made up in either 
gray or white. The price is $6 each. The next grade is the 
No. CJ, of fine worsted, standard weight, furnished with pearl 
buttons. Made in gray or white only. This costs $5 each. 
In a very satisfactory sweater. Shaker knit, also standard 
weight Spalding furnishes their No. 3 J, with pearl buttons 
and made up in gray or white only, for $4.50 each. These 




No. VGP. 

sweaters really stand at the head of the list when it comes to 
picking out a golfing outfit, but another popular style with 
golfers is the vest-collar sweater, with extreme open or low neck, 
as furnished by Spalding. The best grade in this style is their 
No. BG, furnished in gray or white only, made of finest lamb's 
wool and in heavy weight, ribbed at the bottom of skirt and 
cuffs, for $5 each. A shghtly lighter weight, but in same grade, 
also furnished in gray or white, is the Spalding No. CG, at $4.50, 
and in the Shaker knit, standard weight, the No. 3G in white 
or gray at $4. 



Spalding s Athletic Library. 

Some golfers like a jacket sweater with pockets. Pockets 
are always convenient, especially so in the golfing sweater, and 
the Spalding No. VGP, made up with pockets on either side 
and furnished in gray or white, is supplied by Spalding at 
$6.50 each. 

A copy of the Spalding Catalogue of Uniform Goods should 
be in the hands of every golf player, and there is included in 
same a list of articles needed by the golf player, and, in fact, 
by anyone interested in athletic sports, and this catalogue 
will be sent free to any address from any Spalding store. 

Dunng the heated term the sweater is perhaps a little heavy 
for golf, and Spalding supplies a very satisfctory style of jersey, 
light weight, made of good quality worsted and in solid colors, 
either navy blue, black, maroon, or gray. This jersey has V 
neck, and is very comfortable article for golf players. It is 
known as the Spalding No. 12PV Jersey, and the price is $2.50 
each. 




No S8. 



No. 8. 



Spalding furnishes their regular line of sweaters with roll 
collars at prices ranging from $8 each down to $1.50 each, and 
these are all listed in the regular Spalding Catalogue of Uni- 
form Goods. They also furnish a most complete line of jerseys 
with roll collars at prices from $4.50 each down to $2 each. 
All of these are made of good quality worsted, and they are 
most subtantially constructed. Stripes are furnished in both 
jerseys and sweaters, and in anything in the Spalding line will 
be found every possible combination that can be thought of 
in a worsted article. 

After the sweater, to a golf player, the next most important 
article is the shoe. Spalding has been at the head of the list 
m supplying the proper goods for golf playing ever since the 
introduction of this sport into the United States, and, being 
at the head of the list in the way of supplying golf equipment, 



Spalding' s Athletic Library. 

they have not fallen behind in the matter of keeping well in 
advance of all manufacturers in the way of proper clothing 
and outfits for golf players. Their unequaled facilities for 
turning out the proper athletic shoes has enabled them to put 
out golf shoes that are as far in advance of other makers' styles 
as their general line of athletic equipment is in advance of the 
ordinary make of athletic goods found on the market. 

The best grade Spalding Golf Shoe is their No. 88. This 
is made of fine Russia calf in Oxford style, and it is a strictly 
bench-made shoe. Some makers call their shoes hand-made, 
when, as a matter of fact, there is practically no handwork 
in their make-up; but in the Spalding factory the hand-made 
shoes are really shoes that are made by cobblers at the bench. 
These men who turn out the hand-made shoes for Spalding are 
skilled. Many of them have been working on Spalding Athletic 
Shoes for fifteen or twenty years. They have gotten so that they 
have a peculiar knack that is absent in the work of the ordinary 
shoemaker, and this special feature in Spalding Athletic Shoes 
is what has brought about their great popularity. This is true 
not only with base ball, foot ball, basket ball, running, tennis, 
and gymnasium shoes, but also with their line of superior golf 
shoes, and at the head of the list stands this No. 88 shoe. Be- 
sides, being made of the very best material and the finest work- 
manship throughout, this shoe has a special spliced rubber sole. 
This is a new idea, and it is very popular with golf players. 
It has a full heel and studded leather toe. The shoe really must 
be seen to be fully appreciated, as it is really the most up-to-date 
golf shoe made. The price of the No. 88 Spalding Golf Shoe is 
$8 per pair. The next grade in Spalding Golf Shoes is the 
No. 8, made of finest English tan leather of Balmoral shape, 
with fiat sole last and box toe. The sole is made heavy enough 
to attach hobnails or rubber disks. This is a hand-made shoe 
of excellent quality throughout. The price of the No. 8 Spal- 
ding Golf Shoe is $7 per pair. Similar in quality and make 
to the No. 8, but of Oxford shape instead, is the No. 6 shoe, a 
very satisfactory low-cut shoe, the price of which is $6 per pair. 

Spalding, recognizing that there are many players who like 
a satisfactory style of golf shoe, with rubber sole, makes up 
the No. 9 shoe, with a sole bringing in the suction arrangement, 
same as on their basket ball shoes. This No. 9 shoe is made 
low cut, of russet leather; it is waterproof, and is fitted with 
the best red rubber suction sole. The price of the No. 9 shoe 
is $5 per pair. 

Golf players often require hobnails or rubber disks for at- 
taching to their shoes, and these Spalding furnishes. For the 
best aluminum hobnails, No. A, the price is 15 cents per dozen; 



Spalding's Athletic Library. 

for iron hobnails, No. MK, the price is lo cents per dozen; for 
rubber disks, satisfactory style for attaching to the soles of golf 
shoes, the price is 5 cents each. 

Many golf players use what is known as a puttee or riding 
leggin, and Spalding furnishes the most satisfactory style in 
two different grades. Their No. iP is made of genuine pigskin, 
modeled to shape of leg, and is tightened with a strap that goes 
right around. This puttee is furnished in sizes 14, 15, 16, 17, 
and 18-inch calf measurement. The price of the No. iP Puttee 
is $8 per pair. The next grade in the Spalding Puttees is their 
No. I, made of cowhide, nicely grained, and very similar in 
design to the No. iP, furnished also in the same sizes. The 
price of the No. i Puttee is $5 per pair. 

Recently, recognizing the need of proper outing shirt and trou- 
sers and athletic underwear, Spalding got out a most satisfactory 
line. These goods are all very well made, and will give the best 
of satisfaction. For a golf player there is really nothing better 
made, and the prices are exceedingly reasonable when the 
quality of material and the workmanship is considered. 

The shirts are made with two different styles of collars : No. D 
style is the dress-shirt, upright style, and the No. E style is 
the ordinary outing-shirt style flap. All of the Spalding shirts 
are made with full sleeves, with double pearl buttons, link style 
in cuffs, and button front. The No. 10 Spalding outing shirt, 
made of all-wool flannel, in mixed patterns, including stripes, 
plaids, and solid colors, costs $3 each. The No. 12, made of 
eden cloth, in mixed patterns, including attractive stripes and 
plaids, costs $2 each; and the No. 18, made of mixed cotton and 
wool, plain white, costs $3 each. The No. 20 Spalding shirt, 
made of white zephyr weave, material very attractive, costs 
$1.50 each. 

In the Spalding outing trousers great care has been taken to 
make them up with the idea of giving a comfortable fit. The 
trousers are made with one hip, one watch and two side pockets, 
and belt loops. The styles furnished by Spalding in their 
trousers are: No. 9, all-wool flannel, medium weight, plain 
white, price $7 per pair; No. 11, all-wool flannel, medium weight, 
mixed colors and stripes, $7 per pair. No. 15, all-wool flannel, 
light weight, mixed colors and stripes, $6 per pair; No. 19, all- 
wool flannel, medium weight, made of material the same quality 
and colors as in the best Spalding Base Ball Uniforms, price $6 
per pair. Spalding also furnishes a very satisfactory style of 
white duck trousers known as their No. 3. These are well 
made, and of good quality white duck. The price of the No. 3 
white duck trousers is $1.50 per pair. Spalding will send on 
application measurement blanks and samples of material, but 



Spalding s Athletic Library. 





if in a hurry, when ordering, take your own measurements ac- 
cording to the measurements shown herewith, and Spalding will 
make up the shirts and trousers so that they will really look 
well and fit comfortably. 

How TO Measure for 
Shirt. — State size of collar 
worn; length of sleeve from 
shoulder to wrist with arm 
raised and bent as shown 
(1-3); size around chest (5-5). 

How TO Measure for 
Trousers . — Around waist 
(A-A); inseam (D to E); 
around hips (B-B). 

For some time past it has been recognized that there was a 
great need for some kind of athletic wear that would be suit- 
able at the same time for use as underwear, during the heated 
term especially, but throughout the year if desired. Spalding 
has put out shirts and knee pants in materials which it is be- 
lieved has filled this need. The quality of each article is cal- 
culated to satisfy even the most exacting. The No. 15 white 
cotton-mesh sleeveless shirts cost $1 each. No. 15P white cot- 
ton-mesh knee pants cost $1.50 per pair. No. loE natural 
cotton-mesh sleeveless shirts cost $1.50 each, and the No. loEP 
natural cotton-mesh knee pants cost $1.50 per pair. The shirts 
are made in sizes from 26 to 44 inches chest measurement, and 
the knee pants in sizes from 28 to 42 inches waist measure. 
Spalding also makes knee pants of special twilled cotton goods 
suitable in quality, and at the same time extremely light in 
weight, unequaled for use in underwear or for athletic pur- 
poses. The No. 280 white, basket-weave, cotton knee pants 
cost 60 cents per pair, and the No. 210 white, twill, cotton knee 
pants, very light in quality, cost $1 per pair. These knee pants 
are made in sizes from 28 to 42 inches waist measure. 

There are a thousand and one other articles suitable for the 
athlete in general, and, indeed, also by the golf player from 
time to time which are listed in the Spalding Catalogue. A 
copy of this catalogue should be in the hands of every golf 
player, and will be mailed free of charge to any address on re- 
quest to any Spalding store, a list of which is given below: 

New York City — 124-128 Nassau Street and 29-33 West 
Forty-second Street. 

Philadelphia, Pa. — 1013 Filbert Street. 

Boston, Mass. — 73 Federal Street. 



Spalding' s Athletic Library. 

Baltimore, Md. — 2 08 -East Baltimore Street. 

Washington, D. C. — 709 Fourteenth Street, N. W. (Colorado 

Building). 
Pittsburg, Pa. — 439 Wood Street. 
Buffalo, N. Y.— 611 Main Street. 
Syracuse, N. Y. — University Block. 
Chicago — 147-149 Wabash Avenue. 
St. Louis, Mo. — 710 Pine Street. 

Cincinnati, Ohio. — Fountain Square, 27 East Fifth Street. 
Cleveland, Ohio — 741 Euclid Avenue. 
Kansas City, Mo. — 1 1 1 1 Walnut Street. 
Minneapolis, Minn. — 507 Second Avenue, South. 
Detroit, Mich. — 254 Woodward Avenue, 
New Orleans, La.— 140 Carondelet Street. 
Denver, Colo. — 161 6 Arapahoe Street. 
San Francisco, Cal. — 134 Geary Street. 
Montreal, Canada — 443 St. James Street. 
London, England — 53, 54, 55, Fetter Lane, 



Spalding Gold Medal ^ 
Drivers and Brassies 



^ ^ 




THE SPALDING GOLD MEDAL WOOD CLUBS are manufactured 11 
from the finest dogwood and persimmon, and are all guaranteed. / 
The models are duplicates of those used by some of the best golfers / I 
in the world ; the grips are of finest calfskin, or our new rubber style, / / 
roughened: and the finish is the very best; the shafts are all second / / 
growth split hickory, and particular attention is given to the spring and I / 
balance of the club. / 

Spalding Gold Medal Drivers and Brassies. Each, $2.50 {{ 



J 



I 

^ 



Prices subject to chaVtge without notice 

A. C. SPALDING & BROS. 

Send for Comvlete Catalogue of I Stores in all large cities. 

all Athletic Sports. I See inside cover page of this book. 




Spalding 

Gold Medal 

Irons 



^^i 




Model A-Mashie 



Model K— Driving Mashie 



OPALDING GOLD MEDAL IRONS are hand hammered from 
\3 the finest mild steel. We have taken the playing clubs of some of 
the best golfers in the world and duplicated them, and they repre- 
sent our regular stock. If, however, you prefer some other model, we I 
I will copy'it exactly, and the price to you will be the same. Finest calf- 
skin or our new rubber style roughened grips on all of the above. C:::3C:::j) 



Each, $2.00 



A. C. SPALDING & BROS. 



Send for Complete Catalogue of 
all Athletic Sports 



Stores in all large cities. 
See inside cover page of this book. 



r== 



dDQz 



^^=^ 




Spalding 
Gold Medal 




Model V-Cleek 



Model F— Mid Iron 



CPALDING GOLD MEDAL IRONS are hand hammered from the finest 
^ mild steel. We have taken the playing clubs of some of the best 
golfers in the world and duplicated them, and they represent our regular 
stock. If, however, you pi-efer some other model, we will copy it exactly, 
and the price to you will be the same. Finest calfskin, or our new rubber 
style roughened grips on all of the above. 



Each, $2.00 



A. C. SPALDING & BROS. 

Send for Comvlete Catalogue of I Stores in all large cities. 

all Athletic Spoj^ts. \ See inside cover page of this book. 



Spalding Gold Medal Irons 




Model C Mashie 



Model F Putter 



Front View 



Q\ ^^PALDING GOLD MEDAL. IRONS are hand hammered from 
J^ the finest mild steel. We have taken the playing clubs of some of 
the best golfers in the world and duplicated them, and they repre- 
sent our regular stock. If, however, you prefer some other model, 
we will copy it exactly, and the price to you will be the same. Finest 
calfskin or our new rubber style roughened grips on all of the above. 

Each, $2.00 
JUVENILE GOLF CLUBS 

Every part is of proportionate size, making perfect clubs for the use of 
boys and girls up to fourteen years of age. 

Drivers and Brassies. . . . Each, $1.00 
Cleeks, Lofters, Putters . . " 1.00 

Prices subject to change without notice 

A. C. SPALDING & BROS. 

Send for Complete Catalogue of I Stores in all large cities. 

all Athletic Sports. \ See inside cover page of this book. 



9 



-Q\ 



d)Qz 



The Spalding 
Aluminum Golf Clubs 




Model C Putter 



Spalding " Hammer-Headed " Put;ter 



THE merits and points of superiority of aluminum clubs 
have been attested by many of the most prominent 
players in this country. Attention is directed particularly 
to our " Hammer-Headed" Putter, cut of which is shown 
on this page. 

Models D, B, L, M, C, MID. . . Each, $2.00 
** Hammer- Headed" Putter. . . Each, $2.50 

Model C Putter Each, $2.50 

Prices subject to change without notice 



A. C. SPALDING & BROS. 

Send for Complete Catalogue oj 
all Athletic Spoy^ts. 



Stores in all large cities. 
See inside cover page of this book. 




Gold 
Medal 
Wood 
Putters 




IVIodels A and R 

'T'HEY are made of wood, heavily weighted 
with lead. Attached to face of head and 
covering face entirely, is a scored brass plate. 
The shaft is placed directly behind point of im- 
pact, the balance is perfect and the clubs cer- 
tainly feel "just right." Made in two models. 
Best quality tan calfskin roughened grips. 

Model A, Narrow Head. Model R, Convex Sole 

Each, $2.50 



Prices subject to change without notice 



A. C. SPALDING & BROS. 

Send for (JumjAete Catalogue of I Stores in all large cities. 



all Athletic Sports, 



See inside cover page of this book. 



-.d)Qz 



The Spalding 
Hollow 
Steel Faced 
Golf Club 




(?^ 



(Patented June 8. 1897) 



This style club is something" that should be in 
the caddy bag of every golfer really interested 
in playing the best game possible. In con- 
struction it is scientifically correct, and the 
idea is one that needs only to be explained in 
order to meet with general approval. We rivet 
a piece of one-sixteenth inch highly tempered 
steel on a hollow head, and in that way give you 
spring and resistance combined at the point 
where they are required. The set consists of 
Cleek, Lofting Mashie, Mid-Iron and Putter. 

Furnished with Finest Sheepskin 
Roughened Grips and Best Quality throughout, 

^====r::r:^==X) Each, $2.50 O — ^ ::^^^=^ 

Prices subject to change without notice 
A. C. SPALDING & BROS. 

Send for Complete Catalogue of 1 Stores in all large cities. 

alt Athletic Sports. \ See inside cover page of this book. 



■Q 



Crescent Clubs 




fe=^ 



, Socket Drivers ^^ 
\ and Brassies 



cy) 



Brassie 




Driver 



The heads are made of the best selected 
dogwood and persimmon ; the shafts 
of second growth hickory, well sea- 
soned. An entirely hand - made club. 

All the Latest Models, Each, $1.50 

Prices subject to change without notice 

A. C. SPALDING & BROS. 

Send for Complete Catalogue of I Stores in all large cities. 

all Athletic Sports. \ Seeinsidecover page of this hook. 



Crescent (^, 
Jron 

Golf Club 




(?- 



The heads are 
all forged from 
the finest mild 
steel; the 
shafts of well- 
selected second 
growth hick- 
ory, thorough- 
ly seasoned. 
They are per- 
fect as to shape, lie and weight, and well 
finished. Made in rights or lefts, and for 
men or women. In Cleeks, Mashies, Nib- 
lies, Mid-Irons, Driving Irons, Lofters, 
Putters, and other popular models. 
Crescent Iron Golf Clubs. Each, $1.50 

Prices subject to change without notice 
A. C. SPALDING & BROS. 

Send for Complete Catalogue of I Stores in all large cities. 

all Athletic Spoi'ts. \ See inside cover page of this book. 




p- 



(reg. u. s. pat. off.) 

Golf Balls 

We present a new ball this season, 
more with the idea of still further ad- 
vancing^ our reputation in this line 
rather than with any hope of great pe- 
cuniary gain, for it represents an initial 
expense that is very considerable, and, 
in carrying out our promise to furnish 
the best ball possible to produce, we 
have had to purchase at a great ex- 
pense the absolute control of the most 
expensive material ever used in a golf 
ball, and we will be compelled to retain 
at our factory the expert ball makers 
whose skill has made the Spalding 
Glory Ball possible. We present it, 
however, with the single purpose of 
pleasing the golfing public. 

Spalding Glory (^,^ 

f^r%\-f Rail White and Bhie Dot) 
OOII Dail Reg. U. S. Pat. Off. 
A ball that does really lead all others 
in every quality that goes towards the 
making of a perfect ball. *f q f\f\ 
Per dozen, I|)V.UU 

Spalding White 
Golf Ball ^4%'I'Aon. 

Cover made of purified white gutta. 
Particularly durable and without doubt 
the most widely-played ball ever made. 
Known and praised wherever the 
game of golf is played. tt£^ /\f\ 
Per dozen, Jl)D.UU 

ling Wizard 

Oftlf Rail ^^^^^ -^"^^ 

OUII Dail Reg. U. S. Pat. Off. 
Cover made of best quality gutta. We 
claim this ball is even better than the 
well-known 1903 Wizard, which was 
acknowledged the greatest advance up | 
tothattimein themanufac- ^r^ t\f\\ 
tureof golf balls. Perdozen, *pO.U\J| 

Prices subject to change without notice 

A. C. SPALDING & BROS. 

Send for Complete Catalogue of I Stores in all large cities. 

all Athletic Sports. \ See inside cover page of this book. 



Spaldi 



Remade Golf Balls ^ 




Remade White 



Remade Wizard 

[Any standard grade Solid Gutta 
are furnished. 



RUBBER. CORED 




These balls are recovered, not 
merely remolded, and fresh 
elastic is added to take the 
place of the small quantity 
immediately under the cover 
which deteriorates during its 
life as a new ball. 
O;^-0 C— -0 o 

Spalding 
"White" Remade 
Golf Balls 

Per dozen, $4.00 

Spalding 

"Wizard" Remade 
Golf Balls 

Per dozen, $4.00 

Remaking where old balls are 
furnished. Per dozen, $2.50 
No Remade Rubber 
Cored Golf Balls accepted 
for Remaking. 



Cc 



'UD' 



:0 



(? 



Remade Solid 
Guttapercha Balls 
Per dozen, $2.50 

Balls will be remade where old balls 
Per dozen, $1.00 
Prices subject to change without notice \^ 



A. C. SPALDING & BROS. 

Send for Complete Catalogue of I Sto7-es %n all lar{ e cities. 

all Athletic Sports. I See inside cover page }f this hook. 



Q 



^Spalding Caddy Bagso^ 

We use in our canvas bags the heaviest and best grade of duck suitable 
for the purpose. In our leather bags we use solid leather and not thin 

strips glued to- 
gether. All our 
handles are made 
to conform to a 
man'sgrip and are 
guaranteed not to 
break at the bend. 
All the bottoms 
are studded and 
double sewn o n 
our own patented 
machines. Stiff 
leather bags are 
put up in individ- 
ual pasteboard 
boxes. 




No PG No L5 No.Lh No L 3'< 



All- Leather Caddy Bags 

lo. L3'^. Grain leather bag, good quality, brass trimmings and leather 
bottom. ...... Each, $5.00 

lo. L6. Small stiff tan leather bag, snap sling and brass trimmings 
throughout. Long ball pocket opening top and bottom. $5.00 

ro. L4. Imported foot ball leather bag, brass trimmings, leather bot- 
tom. This is one of the most durable bags made. Each, $6.00 

ro. PC. Genuine pigskin bag, heavy brass harness buckle on shoulder 
strap, brass studs and trimmings, leather bottom. Each, $ I O.OO 

fo. L5. Stiff leather, best quality bag, ball pocket and sling to match, 
brass trimmings, leather bottom. . . Each, $6.00 

Fo. L5H. Same style as our No. L5. but with lock and removable hood 
for covering clubs while traveling. This caddy bag will be accepted 
by railroads as baggage. . . . Each, $9.00 

Styles for Women 

lo. WL3 . Fine bridle leather, ball pocket and sling, brass trimmings : 
an exceedingly fine looking and serviceable bag. Each, $5. OO 

fo. WL3/4. Grain leather bag, good quality, brass trimmings and 
leather bottom. ..... Each, $5.00 

Prices subject to change w ithout notice 

A. G. SPALDING & BROS. 

Send for Complete Catalogue of I Stores in all large cities. 

all Athletic Sports. I See inside cover page of this book. 



ziDQz 



^Spalding Caddy Bagscr^ 



Canvas Bags 



No. 



E . Extra heavy brown canvas bae:, with hood, leather trimmings, 
leather top and bottom and extra large ball pocket. This bag 
measures 7^ inches in diameter, and has a removable hood, and 
when fastened with the encircling strap with the patent buckle 
lock will be accepted by railroads as baggage. Each, $6.00 

No. WB. White duck bag. two 
sizes. 7 inches and 8 inches 
diameter, extra heavy solid 
leather shoulder strap with 
patent buckle lock and leath- 
er trimmings; reinforced 
heavy leather bottom; water- 
proof hood to fasten with 
strap and staples inside over 
clubs. . Each, $7.00 

No. WBR. Made with heavy 
leather reinforcing strips 
running lengthwise, other- 
wise similar to No. WB. 

Each, $8.00 

No. B - Like No. WB, but made of 
brown canvas. $7.00 

No. BR, Made with heavy leather 
reinforcing strips running 
lengthwise. Otherwise simi- 
lar to No. B. Each, $8.00 

No. A2. Heavy tan canvas bag, 6 inches diameter, leather trimmings, 
leather reinforced strips running lengthwise; sole leather bottom, 
ball pocket and ring, .... Each, $4.00 




No. CXL 



No. WB 



No. 
No. 
No. 
No. 

No. 



ex. Light tan colored canvas, leather bottom, large ball pocket ; 
sling to match. ..... Each, $2.50 

CXL. Same style as No. CX, excepting that it is made larger 
throughout; studs on bottom. . , . Each, $3.00 

C3. Heavy brown canvas, leather trimmings ; reinforced canvas 
bottom, ballpocket and sling to match. . Each, $1.75 

C2. Brown canvas, leather trimmings, canvas covered wood bot- 
tom ; ball pocket and sling. . . . Each, $ I .OO 



Fo r Children 



(?- 



10. Brown canvas, leather trimmings, ball pocket and sling, can- 
vas covered wood bottom. . . . Each, $I.OO 

Prices subject to chance without notice 

A. C. SPALOrNC & BROS. 

Send for Complete Catalogue oj I Stores in all large cities. 

all Athletic Sports. \ Seeinsidecover page of this book. 



Winslow Patent Caddy Bags 




PATENTED 

There is hardly a g'olf 
player who hasnotsighed 
for a bag so constructed 
that it would contain 
within itself the attri- 
butes of a perfect caddy 
bag and at the same time 
the all-around usefulness 
of a suit case or traveling 
bag. 



:DQi 



No. 1 



Nrt 1 Made of extra 
i^v. 1. j^g^^y brown 

canvas, leather bottom 
with studs, leather trim- 
mings and extra large 
ball pocket. Heavy brass 
harness buckle on shoul- 
der strap and small brass 
buckles on pocket fasten- 
ings. Pocket opens from 
outside and is large 
enough to hold extra 
shoes, sweater or shirt 
and other necessary 
equipmenit. Furnished 
with additional straps 
for fastening tfo (\/\ 
clubs inside, H^O.UU 




No 2 




Showing Interior Arrangement of Bag. 

No 2 ^^^® *^^ same material as No. 1, but constructed with division 

* • down center of bag inside, so that compartment for clothing 

does not interfere with clubs in other section of bag. Furnished also 

with waterproof hood, equipped with straps and buckles, so that <1» Q {\f\ 

clubs can be covered up and protected from rain or dampness. h>V»vIV/ 

We believe the desired result lias been attained in the Wi7isloiv Caddy \ 

Bags described above, both of which are protected by patents. 

Prices subject to change without notice 

A. C. SPALDING & BROS. 

Send for Complete Catalogue of I Stores in all large cities. 

all Athletic Sports. \ See inside cover page of this book. 







Seccomb 
Grip 
Winder 

Grip made of rubber 
fabric. Can be put over 
regular grip. The rough-, 
ened surface makes an 
ideal grip for all kinds of 

weather. 
No. S. Per grip, 15c. 



Sure Grip 

A preparation that will not soil 
the hands and insures a firm grip 
at all times. . Per box, 25c. 




Rubber Grips 




No. 6. Corrugated Grip, made of purest Para rubber. 
Will fit any golf club, and insures a firm and perfect ") 
grip. Highly commended by expert golfers. . 50c 



Prices subject to change without notice 

A. G. SPALDING & BROS. 

Send for Complete Catalogue of I Stores in all large cities. 

all Athletic Sports. I See inside cover page of this book. 



/ 



■& 



:DCz 



^OLF ING GL OVES /7 




No. Gl. Best quality soft white Chamois, open knuckles, 
perforated back and palm. A very superior glove. 

Per pair, $2.25 

No. G2. Fine soft tanned Chamois, open knuckles, per- 
forated back and palm. . . . Per pair, $1.75 

No. G2L. Same quality as No. G2, but for left hand only, 
with reinforced leather palm. . . Each, $1.00 

No. G3. Fingerless Glove, palms reinforced, perforated 
backs Per pair, $1.00 

No. G4. Fingerless Glove, for lefthand only. Each, .50 



G 



X) 



Prices subject to change without notice 

A. C. SPALDING Sc BROS. 

Send for Complete Catalogue of I Stores in all large cities, 

all Athletic Sports. \ See inside cover page of this book. 



MARKING DISCS 





b 



No. 6 No. 3 No. 5 No. 7 No. 4 

Made of heavy tin, painted red and white and 

numbered 1 to 18, to designate the number of 

hole. The iron shaft is strongly fastened to disc 

and about four feet long. 

No. 3, Heart shape Each, $ .60 

No. 4. Oblong shape. ... '' -60 

No. 5- Pear shape, hollow. . " i .50 

No. 6. Windmill, four flanges. '' I .OO 

No. 7- Circular, complete with 



red flag. 



I .OO 



Prices subject to change without notice 

A. C. SPALDING & BROS. 

Send for Complete Catalogue of I Stores in all large cities. 

all Athletic Sports. \ See inside cover page of this book. 



DIRECTION AND MARKING FLAGS 




No. 11 No. 2 

Colors: Red, White, Red and White, Blue and 
White, or any other combination of colors. 

No. 9, Flags only, oblong- shape. Each, 40c, 
Flags only, triangle shape. ' ' 40c . 



No. I I 



G- 



13 



MARKING FLAGS 

Red out, numbered 1 to 9. White in, numbered 
10 to 18. 

No. 2. Flags only, numbered as ordered. / 

Each, 50c,' 
No. 5, Spear head-staffs, 7 feet. ■'' 50c. 

Prices subject to change without notice 
A. C. SPALDING & BROS. 

Send for Complete Catalogue of I Stores in all large cities. 

all Athletic Sports. \ See inside cover page of this book. 



dDQz 




Steel Hole Cutters 

For cutting the hole in center 
of putting green. The earth is 
ejected when withdrawn from 
hole, as shown in cut. Simple 
and efficient and made of best 
quality steel. 

No. 10. Steel Hole Cutter. 
Each, $3.00 

The Midlothian 

Golf Hole Rim (Patented) 

The best hole rim ever made, solid 
iron casting, one piece. Pronounced 
by experts the finest rim on the 
marked. It is solid enough to pre- 
vent the hole from being racked by 
the weight of the hole disc or flag, 
which is kept always in an upright 
position by the neck below the cup. 

No. 25. Golf Hole Rim. . Each, $ 1 .00 

Metal Badges 

For Caddies 

Each badge numbered 

and safety pin on back to fasten 

to cap or breast. 

No. 1. . . Each, 35c. 

d Prices subject to change without notice 





A. C. SPALDING & BROS. 

Send for Complete Catalogue of \ Stores in all large cities, 

all Athletic Sports. 



See inside cover page of this book 



1 



Griffith Bros. (S^ Co. 
London 

Q^ Glossy Golf Painty 

A. G. Spalding (Si» Bros., Sole Agents for United States 



QRlFFITH'i 

|SEDEXCLUSlVEiy 0' 

•ILVERTOWN BAL| 

HIGHEST QUAirrV 
-Ready for usl- 



Used exclusively on the best golf balls by the 

leading makers in the 

United States and Great Britain. 

No. 11 Per can, 50c. 



Golf 
White 

No. 8. 
\ Per bottle, 15c. 




Dries instantly. 

N O N 

Will not chip, 

crack or wear off. 

— nOn — 

Furnished in 

White or Red 



. I 



Prices subject to change without notice 



A. C. SPALDING & BROS. 

Send for Complete Catalogue of I Stores in all large cities. 

all Athletic Sports. \ See inside cover page of this book. 



=DQ=z 



TEEING PLATES 




pOUND shape, 
* ^ made to lie flush 
with the ground and 
used to mark the 
space within the lim- 
its of which the ball 

must be teed. 
No. 8. Pair, 50co 



PUTTING DISC 

The object in using this disc is to train the eye in putting. 

Exceedingly useful for indoor practice. 

No. 1. Putting Disc. Each, 25c. 



II 




IRON HOLE KIMS 

For lining holes in putting green. The cross- 
piece prevents ball from falling to bottom of hole. 
No. 20. With cross-piece. Each, 40c. 

WAY'S GOLF STUDS 

Made of highly tempered steel. Screwed to 
sole and heel. Will always insure firm footing. 

No. 11. Stud with screw Each, 10c. 

No. lis. Set of 12, complete. . . . ** 75c. 

HOB NAILS 

No. MK. Iron Hob Nails. . Dozen, 10c. 

No. A. Aluminum Hob Nails. 15c. 

Prices subject to change without notice 
A. C. SPALDING & BROS. 

Send for Complete Catalogue of I Stores in all large cities. 

all Athletic Sports. I See insidccover page of this hook. 





^^ 



No. 6. Fine English tan leather, Golf Oxford or low cut Golf 
Shoe, made up same as the Balmoral No. 8 Shoe. $6.00 

No. 9. Low cut russet leather, waterproof, with best red 
rubber suction sole Per pair, $5.00 

No. A. Aluminum Hob Nails. . . Dozen, .15 
No. MK. Iron Hob Nails. ... " .10 

Rubber Discs. Each, .05 1 

Prices subject to change without notice 

A. C. SPALDING Sl BROS. 

Send for Complete Catalogue of- I Stores in all large cities. 

all Athletic Sports. | See inside cover page of this book. 



:DQ=: 



''\ 




M 



Spalding 
Fine 
Hand 
Made 
Golf 
Shoes 



No. 88, Fine Russia calf Golf Oxford, 
made throughout. Spliced rubber sole 



hand 
(new 
The 



idea), full heel and studded leather toe. 
most up-to-date and best golf shoe made. 
Per pair, $8.00 
No. 8. Fine English tan leather Golf Balmoral, , 
new shape, flat sole last, box toe. Sole made / 
heavy enough to attach hob nails or rubber 
discs. Per pair, $7.00 



P- 



Prices subject to change without notice 



A. C. SPALDING & BROS. 

Send for Complete Catalogue of I Stores in all large cities. 

all Athletic Sports. I See inside cover page of this book: 



-Q 



jT sT sT 5^ 



Spalding ^ 

yestshape jacfcct S wcatcrs 




No. VG, 

pearl 
only. 

No. CJ. 
pearl 
only. 

No. 3J. 
pearl 
only. 



SPECIAL 
NOTICE 

117^ will furnish 
any of our reg- 
ular jacket sweat- 
ers with body and 
sleeves of one color 
and a different 
color cuffs and 
edging, hut only 
in stock colors, at 
no extra charge. 



No. VG 

. Best quality worsted, heavy weight, 

buttons. Made up in gray or white 

Each, $6.00 

Fine worsted, standard weight, 

buttons. Made up in gray or white 

Each, $5.00 

Standard weight, shaker knit, 

buttons. Made up in gray or white 
Each, $4.50 



Prices subject to change without notice 

A. C. SPALDING & BROS. 

Send for Complete Catalogue of I Stores in all large cities. 

all Athletic Sports. | See inside cover page of this book. 



^ ^ ^ ^ 'ff 



Spalding 

Golf Sweaters 



Vest Collar 




No. BG. 

No. BG. Gray or white only with extreme open 
or low neck. A popular golfing sweater, 
good weight. Made of finest lambs' wool. 
Ribbed at bottom of skirt and cuffs. $5.00 

No. CG. Standard weight, ' 'Highest Quality" 
knit. Made in gray or white only. $4.50 

No. 3G. Standard weight, Shaker knit. Made 
in gray or white only. . . Each, $4.00 1 

Prices subject to change without notice. 



A. C. SPALDING & BROS 

Send for Cotnplete Catalogue of 
all Athletic Sports. 



Stores in all large cities. 
See inside cover page of this book. 




'hfi 



p 



Durand'Steel Lockers 

WOODEN LOCKERS are objec- 
tionable because they attract 
vermin, absorb odors, can be 
easily broken into, and are dan- 
gerous on account of fire. Lockers made 
from wire mesh or expanded metal af- 
ford little security, as they can be easily 
entered with wire cutters. Clothes 
placed in them become covered with dust 
andthelockers themselves presenta poor 
appearance, resembling animal cages. 

Ourand-Steel Lockers are made 

of high-grade steel plates, and are fin- 
ished with gloss-black Furnace baked 
Japan (400''), comparable to that used on 
hospital ware, which will never flake off 
nor require refinishing. as do paints and 
enamels. 

Durand'Steel Lockers are usual 

ly built with doors perforated full length 

in panel design, with sides and backs 
sol id. 
This 
pre- 
vents 
clothes 
in one 
locker 
from 

coming in contact with wet gar- 
ments in adjoining lockers, while 
plenty of ventilation is secured by 
having the door perforated its 
entire length, but if the pur- 
chaser prefers we perforate the 
backs also. 

The cost of Durand-Steel Lockers 
is no more than that of first-class 
wooden lockers, and they last as 
long as the building, are sanitary, 
secure, and in addition, are fire- 
proof. 

We are handling lockers as a spe- 
cial contract business, and ship- 
ment will in every case be made 
direct from the factory in Chi- 
cago. If you will let us know the 
number of lockers, size, and ar- 
rangement, we shall be glad to 
, ■ o' 1 -r- ^^^^ "P through correspondence^ 
1 hree Lockers in bingle 1 ler the matter of prices 

A. C. SPALDING & BROS. 

Send for Complete Catalogue oj \ Stores in all large cities. 





Six Lockers m 
Double Tier 



all Athletic Sports. 



See inside cover page of this book. 



rnpHE FOLLOWING INDEX FROM 

I SPALDING'S LATEST CATALOGUES 

1 WILL GIVE AN IDEA OF THE 

GREAT VARIETY OF ATHLETIC 

GOODS MANUFACTURED AND SOLD 

BY A. G. SPALDING & BROS. : : : : 



Page 

Abdomen Protector.... .'51, 72 

Archery Goods 78, 79 

Athletic Paraphernalia. 82 

Badminton 69 

Bags, Bat 21 

Bags, Bathing Suit.... 32 

Bags, Caddy 66, 67 

Bags, Striking 102, 103 

Bags, Uniform 21 

Balls, Base 4-7 

Balls, Basket 84, 85 

Balls, Croquet 76 

Balls, Foot 70, 71 

Balls, Hand 94 

Balls, Field Hockey... 74 

Balls, Indoor Base 92 

Balls, Golf 64, 65, 69 

Balls, Lacrosse 88 

Balls, Medicine 114 

Balls, Polo 89 

Balls, Tennis 48, 49 

Balls, Squash 56 

Balls, Volley 94 

Balls, Water Polo 94 

Bandages, Elastic .... 30 

Bars, Ash Ill 

Bar Stalls 115 

Bars, Doorwav 118 

Bases. Base Ball 20 

Bases, Indoor 92 

Basket Ball Wear 86, 87 

Bats, Base Ball 8-10 

Bats, Indoor 92 

Bat Bags, Base Ball.. 21 

Bathing Suits 32-33 

Belts 25, 72 

Bladders 71,85,103 

Bows, Archery 78, 79 

Caddy Bags 66, 67 

Caps, Base Ball 26 

Caps. University 27 

Centre Forks, Iron 54 

Centre Straps, Canvas. 54 

Chest Weights 106, 107 

Circle, 7-ft 82 

Clock Golf 69 

Coats, Base Ball 24 

Corks, Running 35 

Covers, Racket 54 

Cricket Goods 57 

Croquet Goods 76 

Discus, Olympic fel 

Disks, Striking Bag.. 104, 105 

Dumb Bells 110, 111 

Elastic Bandages 30 

Emblems 2( 



Equestrian Polo 

Exercisers, Home 

Exercisers, Whitely . . 

Fencing Goods 

Field Hockey Sticks.. 

Flags, College 

Foot Balls 

Foul Flags 

Gloves, Base Ball 

Gloves, Boxing 

Gloves, Fencing 

Gloves, Foot Ball 

Gloves, Golf 

Gloves, Striking Bag. 
Goals, Basket Ball. . . 
Goals, Field Hockey.. 

Goals, Foot Ball 

Goals, Lacrosse 

Goals. Polo 

Golf Clubs 

Golf Goods 

Grips, Athletic 

Guy Ropes and Pegs. 
Gymnasium, Outdoor. . 

Hammers, Athletic... 
Handle Covers, Rubbe 

Hats, University 

Home Gymnasium .... 

Horizontal Bars 

Hurdles, Safetv 

Hob Nails 

Horns, Umpires' 



Page 

75 

120 

120 

95-98 

74 

83 

70-71 

20 

16, 17 

99-101 

97 

31 

67 

103 

85 

74 

71 



58. 63 

58-69 

35 

53 

121 



r 54 

27 

116 

nS, 119 

82 

. 41, 67 

82 



Indian Clubs 110,111 

Indoor Base Ball 92 

Inflaters, Striking Bag. 103 

Jackets, Swimming 32 

Jerseys 38 

Knee Tights 37 

Knickerbockers 37, 73 

Lacrosse 88 

Lanes for Sprints 82 

Lawn Bowls 77 

Lockers 124 

Markers, Tennis 55 

Masks, Base Ball 18 

Masks, Fencing 98 

Mattresses 118 

Medicine Balls 114 

Megaphones 83 

Mitts, Base Ball 11-15 

Mitts, Striking Bag... 103 

Nets, Tennis 50, 51 

Numbers, Competitors'. 35 



SPALDING'S ILLUSTRATED CATA- 
LOGUE AND PRICE LIST FURNISHED 
FREE UPON APPLICATION TO ANY 
OF SPALDING'S STORES-FOR LOCA- 
TION OF WHICH SEE INSIDE FRONT 
COVER OF THIS BOOK. :::::: 





Page 




Page 


Paint. Golf 


60 


Shoes, Gymnasium . . . 




43 


Pants, Base Ball 


25 


Shoes, Indoor Jumping. 




35 


Pauts, Cricket 


36 


Shoes, Jumping 


34, 


35 


Pants, Foot Ball 


73 


Shoes, Indoor Running. 




35 


Pants, Running 


35 


Shoes, Running 




34 


Parallel Bars 


119 

82 


Shoes, Squash 

Shoes, Tennis 




41 


Pistol, Starter's 


42 


Plates, Base Ball Shoe 


20 


Shoe Plates, Base Ball 




20 


Plates, Home 


20 


Shot ■ 




80 


Plates, Marking 


55 


Skates, Roller 


90, 


91 


Plates, Pitchers' Toe.. 


20 


Skull Caps 




73 


Plates, Pitchers' Box. . 


20 


Sleeve Bands 




83 


Poles, Vaulting 


81 


Slippers, Bathing 




32 


Polo, Equestrian 

Polo, Roller 


75 

89 






V9 


Stop Board 




82 


Presses, Racket 


54 


Stop Watch 




82 


Protection for Shoe 
Plates 




Supporters 


> 


31 


28 


Supporters, Ankle 


28 


30 


Protection for Shoe 




Suspensories 


31 


72 


Spikes 


35 


Sweaters 24, 


39 


40 


Protectors, Base Ball.. 


19 


Swivels, Striking Bag. 




102 


Protector, Thumb 


85 








Push Ball 


94 


Take-Off Board 




82 


Pushers, Chamois 


35 


Tape, Rubber Adhesive 




b4 


Puttees, Golf 


41 


Tapes, Marking 

Tapes, Measuring .... 




Sab 

82 


Quoits 


114 


Targets, Archery 




79 






Tennis Rackets 


44-47 


Racket Covers 


54 

44-47 




50 
5 


51 


Rackets, I.awn Tennis. 


Tennis Posts 


1-.'>3 


Rackets. Squash Tennis 


56 
54 






55 


Racket Presses 


Tights, Full Length... 


37 


Rackets Restrung 


49 
56 






m 


Rackets, Squash 


Trapeze 


117 


Reels for Tennis Posts 


53 


Trousers, Tennis, Out- 






Rings, Swinging 116,117 


ing 




36 


Rink Skates 


91 


Trousers, Y. M. C. A. 




37 




77 


Trunks, Velvet 

Trunks, Worsted 




37 
32 


Rowing Machines 108, 109 




Score Books, Base Ball 

Score Books, Basket 

Ball 


21 

85 


Umpire Indicator 

Uniform Bags 

Uniforms, Base Ball... 

Uniforms, Indoor 

Underwear, Athletic. . . 




21 
21 


Score Books, Golf 

Score Books, Tennis... 
Scoring Tablets 


69 
54 
21 


93 
36 


Shin Guards 72, 


74, 89 


Varnish for Gut 




P4 


Shirts, Base Ball 


25 


Vaulting Standards 




81 


Shirts, Outing 


36 


Volley Ball Standards. 




94 


Shirts, Quarter Sleeve. 


37 








Shirts, Sleeveless 


37 


Waist Reducing Ma- 






Shoes, Base Ball 

Shoes, Basket Ball 


28 






113 


87 


Wan^Js 




111 


Shoes, Bowling 


42 


Watches, Stop 




82 


Shoes Cross Country.. 
Shoes, Cricket 


34 






32 


42 


Weights, 5(J-Ili 




80 


Shoes, Fencing 


97 


Whistles, Referees' . . . 




82 


Shoes, Foot Ball 


72 


Wrist Ma.hines 




120 


Shoes. Golf 


41 


Wrestling Machines... 




113 



!UL 3 1907 







Albert G. and J. Walter Spalding commenced business March 
1st, 1876, at Chicago, under the firm name A. G. Spalding & Bro., 
with a capital of $800. Two years later their brothef-in-law, 
William T. Brown, came into the business, and the firm name 
was then changed to A. G. Spalding & Bros. 

The business was founded on the Athletic reputation of Mr. 
A. G. Spalding, who acquired a national prominence in the realm 
of Sport, as Captain and Pitcher of the Forest City's of Rockford, 
111. (1865-70), the original Boston Base Ball Club (Champions of 
the United States, 1871-75), and the Chicago Ball Club C1876-77), 
first Champions of the National League. He was also one of the 
original organizers, and for many years a director, of the National 
League of America, the premier Base Ball organization of the 
world. Mr. Spalding has taken an important part in Base Ball 
afifairs ever since it became the National Game of the United States 
at the close of the Civil War in 1865. The returning veterans of 
that War, who had played the game as a camp diversion, dis- 
seminated this new American field sport throughout the country, 
and thus gave it its national character. 

Base Ball Goods were the only articles of merchandise carried 
the first year, the total sales amounting to $11,000. Gradually 
implements and accessories of Athletic Sports were added, until 
the firm now manufacture the requisites for all kinds of Athletic 
Sports, Originally the firm contracted for their supplies from 
outside manufacturers, but finding it impossible, by this method, 
to keep the standard of quality up to their high ideals, they 
gradually commenced the manufacture of their own goods, and 
by the acquisition from time to time of various establishcJ 
factories located in dififerent parts of the country, are now able 
to, and do manufacture in their own factories everything bearing 
the Spalding Trade-Mark, which stands the world over as a 
guarantee of the highest quality. 



There are over three thousand persons employed in various 
capacities in A. G. Spalding & Bros.' factories and stores located 
in all the leading cities of the United States^ Canada and England. 
A capital of over $4,000,000 is employed in carrying on this busi- 
ness, and the annual sales exceed the total combined annual sales 
of all other manufacturers in the world making a similar line 
of goods. 

A. G. Spalding & Bros, have always taken a leading part in 
the introduction, encouragement and support of all new Sporto 
and Games, and the prominence attained by Athletic Sports in 
the United States is in a very great measure due to the energy, 
enterprise and liberality of this progressive concern. They were 
the pioneers, and in fact the founders, of the Athletic Goods 
Trade in America, and are now universally recognized as the 
undisputed Leaders in the Athletic Goods line throughout the 
world. 

The late Marshall Field of Chicago, America's greatest Mer- 
chant, speaking of the business of A. G. Spalding & Bros., said: 
"I am familiar with its early career, growth and development, 
and when I compare its unpromising outlook and the special 
field for its operations that existed at- its inception in 1876, with 
its present magnitude, I consider it one of the most remarkable 
mercantile successes of the world." 

The millions of Athletes using them, and the thousan ' 
'Oealers selling them, attest to the High Quality of Spa 

hletic Goods, and they must determine the future h' 
onceriu 



^ 






ATHLETIC LIBRARY 



A^separaite book covers every Athletic Sp 
and is Official and Standard 
Price 10 cents each 



GRAND PRIZE 



GRAND PRl 




ST. LOUIS, 1904- 



PARIS, 19( 



3UIS,1904._. ^"* ^ ^ ^ -,-. ^-^ "" 

SPALDING 
ATHLETIC GOODS 

I THE STANDARD OF TH E WORT 



.G.SPALDING & BROS. 

L^_..^ , "ETAIL STORES in the FOLLOWIi 

ICAGO 
' OUIS 
^ ^'NNATI 



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